Cash-strapped Brits could be sitting on a small fortune as new research reveals the contents of an average garden shed is worth more than two thousand pounds.

The study by discount shopping site, NetVoucherCodes.co.uk, found that the typical household had roughly £2080 worth of goods sitting at the bottom of their garden.

Families could rake in a small fortune just by selling their shed’s contents -  possibly enough to buy a second hand car or even pay for a holiday.

However, the poll also revealed that almost a third of us (29%) are careless enough not to put a lock on our sheds.

The study gave respondents a list of items frequently found in a garden shed and asked how much they had spent on them. An average of these spends was then taken.

Unsurprisingly the most valuable pieces to be found were bicycles, with families often stowing away £600 worth in their shed.

Garden tools proved to be the next most expensive items, generally costing home owners more than £450 in total. This was followed by garden furniture roughly costing £350 and lawnmowers on around £250.

Scooters and other children’s toys were among the other expensive items which end up being stored in our sheds, costing on average £230. 

Other items such as sun loungers, garden chemicals, pressure washers, seeds, bird food and hoses brought the total figure to a staggering £2076.

A spokesperson from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk commented: “Most of us don’t realise it, but many of us are actually sitting on a shed load of money.

“With the cost of gardening going up, I’m not surprised that the potential hedge (trimmer) fund is over two thousand pounds, however I doubt many of us would cash in our shed.

“Now we know how much potential cash there is just sitting in our sheds, hopefully more of us will consider putting a lock on it.”

One respondent commented: “My garden shed is an absolute tip, I don’t know how it could be worth all that money. The next time I am short for a bit of cash, I’ll know where to go.”

Another woman who took part in the study commented: “Our shed is my husband’s pride and joy. In fact, he probably spends more time fiddling in there than he does helping me in the garden.” 

Results (Rounded to the nearest £)

• Lawnmower - £247
• Bikes - £613
• Scooter - £96
• Garden table / chairs - £348
• Sun loungers - £45
• Garden tools – £454
• Garden chemicals – £62
• Seeds - £11
• Bird food - £8
• Pressure washer – £106
• Hose – £40
• Kids toys – £108

Total - £2076