Crap Towns / Billericay / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Billericay?

There were 1.6 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Billericay from April 2023 to March 2026, 72% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were grass, woods and crops set on fire, at 0.8. In 2025/26 it was 2.4, up from 1.5 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	1.5	5.2
2024/25	1.0	5.4
2025/26	2.4	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	0.8	1.7
Other outdoor fires	0.5	1.5
Bins and rubbish set on fire	0.3	1.9

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Basildon	6.5 km	11.0
Wickford	6.8 km	6.2
Runwell	7.0 km	5.2
Stanford-le-Hope	12.2 km	4.4
Thundersley and South Benfleet	12.6 km	4.3
Rayleigh	12.6 km	3.1
South Woodham Ferrers	12.9 km	2.1
Brentwood	8.6 km	1.9
Billericay	–	1.6
Galleywood	8.5 km	1.0
Ingatestone	5.5 km	0.6
The typical town	–	5.7