Crap Towns / Christchurch / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Christchurch?

There were 4.5 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Christchurch from April 2023 to March 2026, 21% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were other outdoor fires, at 1.8. In 2025/26 it was 2.9, down from 7.4 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	7.4	5.2
2024/25	3.3	5.4
2025/26	2.9	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Other outdoor fires	1.8	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.4	1.7
Bins and rubbish set on fire	1.3	1.9

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Poole	14.8 km	6.8
Bournemouth	9.1 km	5.3
Christchurch	–	4.5
Ferndown	12.9 km	3.7
West Moors	13.4 km	2.7
New Milton	6.3 km	2.6
Lymington	13.6 km	2.3
Ringwood	12.4 km	2.3
Ashley Heath	11.6 km	2.0
Barton on Sea	6.2 km	1.7
Ashley	8.1 km	1.3
The typical town	–	5.7