Crap Towns / Ashton-in-Makerfield / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Ashton-in-Makerfield?

There were 6.3 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Ashton-in-Makerfield from April 2023 to March 2026, 11% higher than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 4.8. In 2025/26 it was 6.7, up from 4.9 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	4.9	5.2
2024/25	7.2	5.4
2025/26	6.7	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	4.8	1.9
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.3	1.7
Other outdoor fires	0.1	1.5

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Platt Bridge and Abram	4.0 km	54.2
Leigh	7.0 km	41.5
St Helens	8.2 km	34.2
Ince-in-Makerfield	5.3 km	34.0
Haydock	3.3 km	23.6
Wigan	6.0 km	21.4
Newton-le-Willows	4.5 km	11.0
Golborne	4.6 km	10.4
Hindley	6.4 km	10.0
Ashton-in-Makerfield	–	6.3
Orrell	6.8 km	4.5
The typical town	–	5.7