'Middle-class mothers in nice cars' behind garden centre thefts amid shoplifting epidemic

Published: 00:49, 14 June 2026 | Updated: 00:53, 14 June 2026 It seems the greenest fingers can also be the stickiest. Britain’s garden centres are in the grip of a shoplifting epidemic, led – retailers say – by ‘well-to-do, middle-class women in nice cars’, rather than hardened criminals. But the problem goes far beyond the odd pilfered pot plant, a new industry report reveals, with wax jackets, scented candles and designer soft toys among the items most frequently stolen. Some individual thefts have cost retailers up to £6,000. The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) estimates the sector lost £16million to retail crime in the past year, and 71 per cent of members consider theft a significant issue. Retailers say the open nature of garden centres makes them especially vulnerable, with stock accessible in outdoor areas before customers reach a staffed entrance and multiple entry points that are difficult to police. Figures from insurance firm NFU Mutual show nine in ten rural retailers were hit by crime in the past year, at an average cost of £83,000 each.  Many have responded to the crisis with raised displays, gated plant sections and impulse-buy products moved closer to staffed tills. Meanwhile, others have reduced stocks of high-risk items entirely. Middle class mothers are reportedly the ones behind garden centre thefts rather than hard criminals Jennifer Pheasey, director of public affairs at the HTA, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘In recent years theft has absolutely risen, and it’s gone from being predominantly smaller items to being much more prevalent larger items. ‘It is quite endemic and a real challenge, but first and foremost for every retailer, they worry about the safety of their staff.’ She added: ‘Over 90 per cent of our businesses are family-owned, so it is hard for them to have the money to invest in stopping people committing a crime. 'This is a real cost to businesses at a time when they’re under massive pressure.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.