Crap Towns / Chafford Hundred and West Thurrock / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Chafford Hundred and West Thurrock?

There were 7.8 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Chafford Hundred and West Thurrock from April 2023 to March 2026, 37% higher than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were other outdoor fires, at 3.5. In 2025/26 it was 9.8, up from 4.2 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	4.2	5.2
2024/25	9.5	5.4
2025/26	9.8	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Other outdoor fires	3.5	1.5
Bins and rubbish set on fire	3.3	1.9
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.1	1.7

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Tilbury	5.8 km	34.0
Chadwell St Mary	6.0 km	23.9
Northfleet	6.2 km	11.7
Purfleet-on-Thames	2.2 km	11.6
Aveley	3.2 km	11.5
Grays	3.4 km	11.0
Swanscombe	4.0 km	9.2
Chafford Hundred and West Thurrock	–	7.8
South Ockendon	3.5 km	6.1
Dartford	5.2 km	4.9
Stone	4.3 km	2.4
The typical town	–	5.7