Gardeners urged to remove hedge trimmers from sheds this November | Express.co.uk

Gardeners who have hedge trimmers stored in their sheds this winter are being urged to take them out as soon as possible.

Sheds are a hugely useful outdoor storage space for even amateur gardeners, providing a (hopefully) dry and secure spot to keep everything from lawnmowers to secateurs safe from thieves, rain and rust.

But garden experts are warning that if you keep cordless hedge trimmers in your shed over the colder winter months, you should find somewhere else to store it.

The reason is because of the batteries.

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Any battery operated item, like a torch, a cordless hedge trimmer, a cordless lawnmower or drill, will be put at risk if stored in a cold, unheated shed in the darkest and chilliest months of the year, according to GardenBuildingsDirect.

There’s every chance that when you come back to your power tools in the spring, they won’t work any more, or they’ll work a lot less well than before.

But even if you have corded tools, there's still a risk that they could break thanks to invasive rodents like rats and mice.

A spokesperson for GardenBuildingsDirect said: “Cold temperatures can reduce the efficiency and lifespan of power tool batteries, so leaving them in the shed during autumn and winter could mean you have to replace them.

“Rodents like mice who seek warmth in outbuildings during the colder months may nibble on electrical chargers and break expensive electrical equipment too.”

The experts also advise against storing paint or chemicals in sheds too.

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They added: “Keeping leftover paint in the shed is a common mistake. Storing paint properly is key to maintaining its quality and making sure it can be re-used in the future. Keeping leftover paint in the shed during the winter months could cause it to congeal, separate or dry out.

“Some liquid pesticides can crystallise in cold temperatures. Cold conditions can damage the chemicals and make them more difficult to work with or completely unusable.”