Crap Towns / Birtley / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Birtley?

There were 28.6 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Birtley from April 2023 to March 2026, 5.0 times the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 17.6. In 2025/26 it was 39.5, up from 22.2 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	22.2	5.2
2024/25	24.3	5.4
2025/26	39.5	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	17.6	1.9
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	8.1	1.7
Other outdoor fires	2.9	1.5

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Stanley	8.2 km	72.3
Sacriston	9.4 km	45.3
Shiney Row and Penshaw	7.0 km	42.1
Washington	4.1 km	39.8
Hebburn	9.3 km	36.2
Fence Houses	7.9 km	35.9
Gateshead	4.6 km	34.7
Chester-le-Street	4.8 km	34.5
Pelton and Ouston	2.9 km	30.0
Birtley	–	28.6
Whickham	8.3 km	22.4
The typical town	–	5.7