Crap Towns / Hamilton / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Hamilton?

There were 33.7 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Hamilton from April 2023 to March 2026, 1.5 times the typical Scottish town's 22.3. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 21.2. In 2025/26 it was 37.4, down from 39.8 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical Scottish town
2023/24	39.8	22.6
2024/25	23.8	20.4
2025/26	37.4	19.0

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical Scottish town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	21.2	8.2
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	6.6	6.2
Other outdoor fires	5.9	5.0

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Motherwell	4.6 km	51.7
Bellshill	5.6 km	47.3
Uddingston	5.5 km	38.6
Larkhall	7.3 km	37.7
Hamilton	–	33.7
Viewpark	6.3 km	33.0
Blantyre	3.3 km	29.5
Cambuslang	8.1 km	26.7
New Stevenston	6.5 km	26.6
Holytown	8.0 km	24.4
Bothwell	3.9 km	15.5
The typical Scottish town	–	22.3