Crap Towns / Cottam / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Cottam?

There were 3.5 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Cottam from April 2023 to March 2026, 39% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 2.1. In 2025/26 it was 1.4, the same as in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	1.4	5.2
2024/25	7.8	5.4
2025/26	1.4	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	2.1	1.9
Other outdoor fires	1.0	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	0.5	1.7

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Preston	5.1 km	18.6
Bamber Bridge	9.1 km	8.2
Longridge	12.2 km	5.8
Fulwood	3.4 km	5.4
Leyland	11.0 km	5.3
Penwortham	5.4 km	4.5
Cottam	–	3.5
Kirkham	6.4 km	3.2
Longton	7.7 km	2.1
Garstang	13.5 km	2.0
Tarleton and Hesketh Bank	11.1 km	1.4
The typical town	–	5.7