News: Cars made homeless as owners fill their garages with junk
The garage is now more likely to be a dumping ground for things our cramped houses and rotting sheds have no room for.
IT WAS once home to our most treasured possession, the motorcar, but a new survey has revealed the garage is now more likely to be a dumping ground for things our cramped houses and rotting sheds have no room for.
The survey, by RAC Insurance, found that 62% of motorists no longer keep their car in the garage. Instead, just over three quarters (77%) of them use it for general storage, 36% have turned it into a workshop for hobbies and DIY, and almost one in 10 (8%) use it as a gym. Researchers calculated that the typical garage contains £1,650 worth of “stuff”.
Many of those people who do use their garage for its intended purpose say there is barely enough room to get their car in and, once installed, even less room to get out of it.
Commenting on the findings, Simon Williams, an RAC Home Insurance spokesman, said: “It’s frightening to think that 5m garages are not used for the purpose they were made. High-value items such as bikes and tools stored in a garage are an easy target for thieves.”
Top 10 items kept in a carless garage:
- DIY tools – 76% per cent
- Decorating kit / ladders – 67%
- Gardening equipment – 64%
- Sports / gym equipment – 49%
- Bikes and scooters – 47%
- Scrap wood – 42%
- Fridges and freezers – 35%
- Additional food and drink – 25%
- Shoes, boots and coats – 18%
- Motorbike – 10%
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