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Botanical gardens are stepping up security after a spate of thefts of exotic plants that is costing them a fortune.

Rustlers posing as paying visitors are believed to have used shovels and trowels to remove mature plants that can cost up to £60 each from the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens in Dorset.

They cut off the upper stems and place the rootball in rucksacks before walking out. Up to a dozen plants have been lost recently.

Barry Clarke, from Sir Harold Hiller Gardens in Hampshire, has stepped up security after thefts of exotic plants

And between ten and 15 exotic species have been stolen from the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens near Romsey in Hampshire this year, mostly at night.

Staff there have installed security motion cameras and attached plant anchors to the base of some specimens.

Botanist Barry Clarke said: 'We've put in motion cameras that only activate when someone is there or if something moves. They are disguised and hidden from view and concentrated in areas of specific interest.'

He said some of the stolen species, including peonies and snowdrops, are so rare and expensive that it is almost impossible for the charity to replace them. 

He added: 'We think it could be specialist collectors, people that just have to have the next interesting plant. Or it could be specialist growers, who want to cultivate and sell them on.' 

At Abbotsbury, assistant head gardener Tim Newman said new plants were often put out and went missing within weeks. 

Staff have stepped up patrols and carry cameras in case they catch anyone in the act.

Staff there have installed security motion cameras and attached plant anchors to the base of some specimens after up to 15 exotic plants were stolen this year