Britons who dig partying in garden call time on pubs

GARDEN parties are set to be all the rage this summer as an estimated 15 million Britons give pubs and restaurants the cold shoulder, a new survey has claimed.

Taking inspiration from television gardeners such as Matt James and Diarmuid Gavin, more than one in three garden owners will be sprucing up their plots as they prepare to entertain friends and family over the next few months.

A full re-landscape is on the cards for 38 per cent of the 400 homeowners questioned by Edinburgh-based Standard Life Bank, while one in five plans to add lighting and music features.