Man breaks into woman's garden to steal WATER from her hosepipe as she issues warning

A woman has issued a warning to others to make sure their gates are “fully locked” after catching a stranger in her garden filling up his watering containers.

In a post on the Stokenchurch Community Group Facebook page, the woman shared what appeared to be a CCTV image, showing a man standing in her back garden with four containers at his feet.

The end of her hosepipe was stuck into one of the large containers as it presumably filled up with water.

The man, dressed in a white t-shirt, dark pants and boots, was looking down at a white phone as he waited for the cheeky theft to be complete.

In a warning to other locals, the woman wrote: “Some cheeky b**** came into my garden today and filled up his watering containers, caught on camera, make sure your gates are fully locked.

Parts of the UK have had hosepipe bans introduced (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

“Won’t be doing it again as tap will now be turned off.”

She continued to say she was “sick” of having to “nail everything down or lock everything up like fort knox”.

It was not known whether the woman had reported the man to police.

The brazen theft comes as parts of the UK have introduced hosepipe bans.

Temperatures soared across the country last week and droughts were declared in eight areas in England.

Much of the UK has seen the driest July since 1935 and many reservoirs have been badly affected.

The hot weather is now coming to an end as the Met Office have issued yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms and heavy rain across the UK this week.

The brazen theft was caught in the act by a CCTV camera (Facebook)

But despite the end to the dry weather, this isn't expected to be enough to replenish the country's low water supplies.

Hosepipe bans have already come into effect in some areas of the country, and more will be imposed in the coming days and weeks.

Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Kent and Sussex, Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and north Devon, Yorkshire, London and south-east England all have hosepipe bans in effect or coming into effect in coming weeks.

A hosepipe ban means that you cannot use a hosepipe that is connected to the mains water supply.

This means that there are lot of household activities you cannot do, they include:

• filling a paddling pool, swimming pool or hot tub

• Filling an ornamental pond or water fountain

• Cleaning walls or windows of a domestic property

• Cleaning your car or other vehicles with a hosepipe

• Cleaning patios or other artificial outdoor surfaces

• Watering your garden