Millions of homeowners are adding value to their property by giving their gardens a makeover, according to a new survey.

A survey of 2,411 people by Saga Insurance revealed 82 per cent of Brits think the garden is an extremely important feature when house-hunting.

People spend on average £500 improving their gardens and most believe that the improvements have helped to increase the value of their homes by more than £7,500.

Nearly 40 per cent of people decide to completely re-landscape their lawns and redesign layout to add pounds to the property.

Other people have focused on special features with 12 per cent adding a fish pond, 11 per cent opting for a decking area and six per cent adding a pergola.

Andrew Goodsell from Saga said: "Whether you're improving the kerb appeal of your house in preparation for sale or enhancing your living space purely for pleasure, this research shows that the impact a garden has on both property prices and emotional fulfilment can never be underestimated."