Storm-Proof Your Garden: A 20-Minute Check Before the Wind Arrives

Most storm damage around the home isn’t the house itself. It’s the trampoline on next door’s roof, the bin through the patio door, and the fence panel across the road. Here’s the 20-minute check.

The 20-minute checklist

• Trampoline: anchor it, or take the net and padding off
• Garden furniture, cushions and parasols: into the shed or garage
• Bins: put them somewhere sheltered, or tie them to a fence post. If it’s collection day, bring them in as soon as they’re emptied
• Pots, toys, bikes, BBQs: inside or against a wall
• Gazebos and pop-up shelters: take them down
• Shed and greenhouse: doors shut and latched, greenhouse vents closed
• Car: park it away from trees, fences and anything that could blow over, if you can
• Gates: shut and bolted
• Drains and gutters: clear leaves if heavy rain is coming too (only if it’s safe and calm)

Trampolines

Trampolines catch the wind like a sail, and they regularly end up in neighbours’ gardens, on roads and on railway lines in big storms.

• Best fix: an anchor kit. Corkscrew stakes go into the ground and straps go over the frame. They cost about £15–£30 and stay in all winter.
• No anchors? Take the safety net and padding off, so there’s less for the wind to grab.
• Small trampolines can go in the garage or be laid flat against a wall and weighed down.

Trampoline anchor kits on Amazon

Furniture, bins and the small stuff

Anything you can pick up, a strong gust can throw. Put it in the shed or garage. If it won’t fit:

• Stack heavy furniture against a wall, on its side if needed, and tie it together with ratchet straps or rope.
• Fold parasols and take them out of the base, or they’ll take the table with them.
• Bins: a bungee cord or strap around a fence post or gate stops them rolling.

Ratchet straps on Amazon

Sheds, fences and trees

These are jobs for calm weather, days before, not when the warning’s already out:

• Sheds: check the door latch, and that the roof felt is nailed down. A flapping roof soon becomes a missing roof.
• Fences: look for loose panels and rotten posts. Insurers often refuse claims for fences that were already in poor condition.
• Trees: dead or overhanging branches near the house, cars or power lines? Get a tree surgeon to look before winter. Never cut near power lines yourself. Call 105 and your network operator will advise.

After the storm

1. Look before you step out: fallen branches, loose tiles, broken glass, fallen cables.
2. Take photos of any damage before you tidy up, for insurance.
3. Check on neighbours, especially older people or anyone living alone.
4. Call your insurer about any damage. Many insurers treat gusts of about 55mph or more as a storm.

Strong winds often bring power cuts. Check our live power cut checker, keep phones charged, and see the power cut checklist. For live warnings where you live, use our weather warnings checker.