Crap Towns / Cowes / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Cowes?

There were 3.7 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Cowes from April 2023 to March 2026, 35% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were other outdoor fires, at 2.6. In 2025/26 it was 3.3, down from 4.9 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	4.9	5.2
2024/25	2.8	5.4
2025/26	3.3	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Other outdoor fires	2.6	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.1	1.7
Bins and rubbish set on fire	0.0	1.9

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Blackfield and Langley	8.2 km	11.0
Gosport	12.6 km	10.4
Fareham	13.7 km	6.1
Ryde	11.2 km	6.0
Locks Heath	12.4 km	6.0
Holbury	10.3 km	6.0
Newport	5.6 km	4.9
Netley	14.0 km	4.8
Lee-on-the-Solent	10.3 km	3.8
Cowes	–	3.7
East Cowes	2.2 km	3.6
The typical town	–	5.7