Crap Towns / Canterbury / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Canterbury?

There were 9.7 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Canterbury from April 2023 to March 2026, 1.7 times the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 5.2. In 2025/26 it was 13.2, up from 7.8 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	7.8	5.2
2024/25	8.1	5.4
2025/26	13.2	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	5.2	1.9
Other outdoor fires	2.4	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	2.1	1.7

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Canterbury	–	9.7
Whitfield	20.2 km	6.4
Faversham	14.0 km	6.0
Herne	8.9 km	5.7
Ashford	21.0 km	4.7
Whitstable	8.7 km	4.2
Aylesham	10.1 km	3.8
Herne Bay	10.9 km	3.5
Folkestone	21.8 km	2.5
Deal	22.6 km	2.1
Hawkinge	19.3 km	2.0
The typical town	–	5.7