Crap Towns / Didcot / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Didcot?

There were 3.8 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Didcot from April 2023 to March 2026, 33% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 1.6. In 2025/26 it was 3.3, up from 3.1 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	3.1	5.2
2024/25	5.1	5.4
2025/26	3.3	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	1.6	1.9
Other outdoor fires	1.3	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.0	1.7

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Wantage	12.5 km	11.2
Grove	12.3 km	8.0
Oxford	16.2 km	5.0
Didcot	–	3.8
Eynsham	20.9 km	3.6
Abingdon-on-Thames	7.7 km	2.4
Wallingford	8.0 km	2.0
Newbury	23.6 km	1.8
Thatcham	23.6 km	1.7
Benson	10.3 km	1.6
Sonning Common	21.0 km	0.6
The typical town	–	5.7