Garden trampolines must now be microchipped so they can be returned home after taking off in windy weather.

Each time a storm hits, like this week’s Storm Ciara, thousands of trampolines disappear from gardens across the country.

Inexplicably, many of them turn up on railway lines, creating a hazard to trains and anyone trying to bounce on them.

Now, the Government has announced that owners must microchip so they can be easily returned during windy spells.

Home Office official Lorraine Fisher, 34, said: “During storms, it’s always tricky returning them to their rightful owners.

“But once they are microchipped, a quick scan will reveal who it belongs to.”

With climate change expected to bring a lot more incidents of strong winds, the microchip programme can’t come soon enough.

This week, trampolines ended up on tracks across the country. One owner was forced to pay a fine for the inconvenience, but railway official Roy Everett said the cheque bounced.