Crap Towns / Fence Houses / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Fence Houses?

There were 35.9 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Fence Houses from April 2023 to March 2026, 6.3 times the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 20.9. In 2025/26 it was 39.9, up from 35.0 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	35.0	5.2
2024/25	32.9	5.4
2025/26	39.9	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	20.9	1.9
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	12.4	1.7
Other outdoor fires	2.7	1.5

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Murton	8.3 km	76.5
Hetton-le-Hole	4.1 km	71.2
Houghton-le-Spring	1.7 km	61.0
Sacriston	8.5 km	45.3
Shiney Row and Penshaw	2.7 km	42.1
Washington	6.9 km	39.8
Fence Houses	–	35.9
Chester-le-Street	5.1 km	34.5
Pelton and Ouston	7.7 km	30.0
Birtley	7.9 km	28.6
Durham	8.2 km	14.4
The typical town	–	5.7