Inventor's garden gnome protects homes

An inventor has created a security conscious garden gnome - to help protect Britain's empty homes over the festive season.

Ian Burgess hid a sophisticated home security system inside a garden gnome to help people protect their unguarded homes.

He was commission by Confused.com after research showed nearly half of Britain's homes are left empty for at least one night over the festive period.

Mr Burgess's 'Festive Garden Guardian' conceals an adapted network wireless security camera coupled with day and night motion sensors.

The camera takes photos of any intruders which are then instantly sent to a pre-determined email address or mobile phone.

The homeowner can also log on to the camera remotely, via a laptop or smartphone, to monitor what's going on at their home.

Mr Burgess, of Setwo Limited, says he has seen first hand the effect a break-in can have on a person's sense of security.

He said: "Having your home burgled is a horrible experience. Having your home broken into, and knowing someone's taken your things can really unsettle you.

That's why I wanted to create the Festive Garden Guardians - so that I can help protect people from having the same thing happen to them."

People can apply to take part in a Confused.com pilot scheme to test the effectiveness of the new invention.

If it proves successful, the Garden Guardians could be rolled out commercially next year.