With the Met Office predicting above average temperatures this summer, Halifax Home Insurance warns this could lead towards increased numbers of subsidence claims.
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In prolonged dry weather the root systems of plants can extract those last few drops of water in the soil, bringing about subsidence, potentially destabilising house foundations.
The majority of British garden centres have witnessed a dramatic increase in customers reporting the death of well established traditional British plants in the last year. Three quarters of centre managers have also witnessed an increase in demand for exotic specimens such as, bamboos and palms over the period.
In response to this, 44 per cent said that they have started to stock greater varieties of plants suited to a Southern European climate.
Niel Curling, senior manager of structural claims at Halifax Home Insurance, said: Last years water restrictions highlighted the threatening conditions for subsidence. With Britain having already experienced unprecedented high temperatures in 2007, and an extremely dry April, we are concerned that increasing numbers of properties could be affected and are urging householders to be vigilant to this threat.
Green-fingered Britons planting new exotic species, should carefully research the impact they could have on their garden and their home. Britons may be unaware of the appropriate distance to plant an exotic species away from their property to ensure the tree or shrubs root system does not cause subsidence later down the line as the roots take water out of the soil. Just cutting back a tree or shrub to the size it was last year may be enough to keep subsidence at bay during an average summer and save the anxiety, inconvenience and cost of subsidence damage. If severe drought approaches then more radical cutting may be required.
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Over half of Britains garden centre managers say that the water restrictions over the past 12 months have ahd a negative impact on sales of plants quoting a 10 per cent decline in sales in the last 12 months alone.
Increasing numbers of British gardeners may turn to planting species suited to a Southern European climate if temperatures continue to rise and the country witnesses increased water restrictions.
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