Steve Hills became aware that over 440 items had disappeared from his warehouse over the past year – items such as garden lights, fountains, pond pumps and thermometers, while noticing that suspiciously identical items were being sold on the popular internet auction site.

Mr Hills hunted down the seller to confront him, only to find it was one of his own staff. He dished out “summary justice” to the employee, an Aaron Baker of Margate, whereupon police were called and Mr Baker admitted the thefts. This week he received a suspended five-month jail sentence and 120 hours community service.

Following the 20-minute court hearing, Mr Hills stormed out of the court and later told the local paprt: “That is just a joke. What he did to my business was appalling and he seems to have escaped justice? I was so angry I wanted to shout something in court but I thought it best to leave because of what had happened earlier.”

The sorry episode just reinforces how important it is to get your garden furniture from a reliable online supplier.

Tamworth Police have been appealing for witnesses last week following a vicious arson attack, which destroyed trees, hedges, garden furniture and killed chickens in a nearby coop.

The fire broke out on the night of the 13^th after arsonists ignited a row of 50-foot Leylandii trees in a garden in Lakeside’s Riley. The fire caught hold “instantly,” according to firefighters and spread to nearby gardens, killing the chickens in the coop and damaging other properties, as well as reducing the property’s fences to charred ashes.

As well as neighbours’ garden furniture, a child’s trampoline was also burnt, the local paper reported. Firefighters were soon on hand and remained for two hours, tackling the flames and dousing sheds, bushes, trees and hedges to stop flying embers causing the fire to spread further.

Anyone who witness or who has other information about the attack should contact Tamworth police on 0300 123 44 55.

A new craze that has been springing up in the USA for some time and is now making its way across the pond is the trend for so-called “fairy gardens”.

Found tucked away in real gardens, or in more unlikely locations, such as car parks or playgrounds, these tiny gardens use bric-a-brac, discarded materials and toys to recreate their bonsai environment. Children in particular love the chance to craft garden furniture and other garden decorations in tiny sizes, although many adults are increasingly buying ready-made accessories from toy shops, garden centres or online.

One enthusiast, Heather Fogg of Peoria, Illinois, uploads pictures of her fairy gardens on Flickr. She explains that she likes to scatters her fairy gardens amid her real garden areas, “hidden like I imagine fairies would accidentally be found.”

With the weather turning across most of the UK, now is a good time to look at some of the best ways to store your rattan garden furniture over the winter months, to ensure that it looks and feels its best when the spring comes around and it’s time to relax in the garden once again.

Although rattan garden furniture requires very little maintenance, it will repay a little care when it comes to protection from the inclement weather – a secure waterproof cover is perfect if there is not enough shed and garage space for storage. Such tarpaulins are relatively inexpensive and can be easily ordered online.

Clean your furniture with slightly soapy water and rinse it before letting it dry completely – and then cover it, as this will keep it in the best possible condition. If the furniture has fabric mattresses or cushions, store these indoors and separately from the furniture itself.

photo credit: rajkumar1220

Last week, Vietnam News paid a visit to Phu Vinh Village near Ha Noi, where rattan weaving has been the mainstay of its economy for generations. All ages weave rattan and bamboo, in between tending the fields and the fruit trees. The finished rattan products are sold in the nearby market or by the roadside to passing travellers.

There is of course a healthy export trade as well. The demand for quality rattan garden furniture and other products is a global one, and the village is part of Phu Nghia Commune, which contains nearly 8,000 people in the rattan trade, exporting most of their products to Japan, Russia, China, the USA, Europe and the UK.

So next time you relax in your rattan garden furniture, why not take a moment to thank the likes of Phu Vinh’s villagers and their deft handiwork?

TV garden designer James Alexander-Sinclair spoke this week of the need for garden furniture to be attractive as well as hard-wearing and economical.

As he begins promoting next month’s Grand Designs Live at the Birmingham NEC, Alexander-Sinclair said that “because we live in this climate, we spend an awful lot more time looking at the garden furniture than sitting on it. Therefore it’s important to make it as beautiful as you can possibly manage.”

The theme of this year’s Grand Designs Live is the “24-hour garden,” which showcases three different designer gardens and shows how they transform from day to night, and fulfil different roles at different times of the day, serving as an “outdoor living room,” a “tranquil escape” and a “contemporary kitchen garden for entertaining.”

Grand Designs Live will be at the Birmingham NEC from 7-9 October.

The London Evening Standard reported this week that senior Liberal Democrat members of the Coalition government are proposing a tax on big gardens in the Greater London area, to the fury of Tories opposed to any such “garden tax.”

The Lib Dems want a new land levy introduced to ease the council tax burden on the poorest in the region, which he told the paper would be aimed at “developers and large land owners who have made huge profits out of rising land values in the capital.”

But London Tories such as City and Westminster MP Mark Field declared that the proposals would “alarm people in communities throughout London and the South-East,” saying that homeowners with big gardens in Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Totteridge and Wimbledon would receive hefty tax bills.

However, unlike the council tax, homeowners who improved their gardens with an extension, a conservatory or new garden furniture would not see their tax demands increase.

The Met Office warned householders to lock up their garden furniture today after weather forecasters said that Hurricane Katia is now heading for the British Isles.

The hurricane is expected to hit Ireland on Monday and arrive at the British coast the following day, with the Scottish islands likely to be the worst hit.

The Met Office issued a severe weather warning for Scotland, Ireland, Northern England, West Wales, Cornwall and Devon and stressed that 10mph winds were likely, making a few precautionary measures necessary.

These included securing any loose objects outdoors, such as garden furniture, ladders and lawn ornaments to prevent them blowing into windows and walls; closing and securely fastening all doors and windows – with particular attention to garages.

Cars and bikes should be locked away in a garage if possible, otherwise they should be kept clear of buildings, trees, walls and fences.

Householders with lofts should batten down the trapdoors and any houses with shutters should close them securely.

RAF personnel based in Rutland pitched in last week to give the garden furniture at the Oak House Residential Home a new lease of life.

The servicemen and women based at RAF Cottesmore arrived at the old folks home to lend a hand as part of Heroes for Help scheme – an initiative which sees members of Britain’s armed forces carrying out community work to brighten up their local region.

After identifying the work that was required on Oak House’s garden furniture, the personnel sanded it down, cleaned it and applied fresh coats of paint, according to the Rutland Times. They also renovated an enormous parasol in the garden.

The home’s manager Linda Ellis told the local paper: “RAF Cottesmore approached us asking if there was anything we needed and we really appreciated their help.”

“All the furniture looks brand new and the garden looks absolutely lovely now. It will make a big difference when the residents sit outside in the sunny weather.”

Yorkshire police have sent out a warning to householders this month to keep their gardens secure, as thieves take to lifting garden furniture, play equipment and tools from locals’ backyards.

Taking advantage of soaring scrap metal prices against a background of economic difficulties, police warned that such garden thefts have soared, and the region’s forces have been prompted to set up specialist investigation teams

Inspector Jason Booth, who leads teams in parts of Sheffield, told the Yorkshire Post: “I am noticing a big increase in thefts we wouldn’t ordinarily see.”

“Garden furniture, barbecues, fridges, dishwashers and children’s trampolines are being stolen from gardens and these are staying under the radar because they are being classed as ‘other theft’, but they are all metal,” he added.

“It really frustrates me that people think they can just go on to somebody’s property and help themselves to it.”