Crap Towns / Chard / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Chard?

There were 9.6 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Chard from April 2023 to March 2026, 1.7 times the typical town's 5.7. The most common were other outdoor fires, at 4.4. In 2025/26 it was 9.8, up from 7.7 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	7.7	5.2
2024/25	11.2	5.4
2025/26	9.8	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Other outdoor fires	4.4	1.5
Bins and rubbish set on fire	3.0	1.9
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	2.1	1.7

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Chard	–	9.6
Ilminster	6.5 km	8.0
Wellington	22.0 km	6.8
Taunton	18.8 km	6.5
Honiton	18.9 km	6.2
Yeovil	22.9 km	5.5
Bridport	21.4 km	4.7
Crewkerne	11.8 km	4.5
Axminster	10.8 km	3.2
Somerton	25.2 km	2.9
Seaton	20.2 km	2.5
The typical town	–	5.7