Cambridgeshire was home to two of the three most expensive shed thefts in the UK last year, with a £28,000 tractor and £15,000 penny farthing among thieves' highest-value hauls.

These were the first and third most expensive items stolen from UK sheds during 2021, while £23,000 worth of mountain bikes and a £15,000 pedigree dog from Kent, and £12,600 of electric bikes from Cumbria completed the top five.

Cambs also saw the third highest number of shed thefts in the UK during 2021 with 818 such offences, behind Greater London's 2,075 and Hertfordshire's 833.

North Yorkshire was the safest place to own a shed, with just 12 break-ins last year, followed by Merseyside (43) and Bedfordshire (51).

Jack Sutcliffe, co-founder of Power Sheds, who compiled the research from police data, said: "Shed break-ins are clearly very commonplace across the country and it’s something that all owners need to be aware of.

“There are plenty of things that shed owners can do to help ensure their shed is as safe and secure as possible, from adding extra locks or an alarm to purchasing a specifically built security shed.

"Putting these deterrents in place might not ensure complete protection against theft, but it’ll certainly make a big difference in keeping your items secure.”