Crap Towns / Harwich / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Harwich?

There were 3.5 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Harwich from April 2023 to March 2026, 39% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were grass, woods and crops set on fire, at 2.1. In 2025/26 it was 3.7, up from 3.2 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	3.2	5.2
2024/25	3.5	5.4
2025/26	3.7	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	2.1	1.7
Bins and rubbish set on fire	0.7	1.9
Other outdoor fires	0.7	1.5

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Jaywick	19.7 km	13.1
Clacton-on-Sea	16.7 km	12.7
Walton-on-the-Naze	9.3 km	6.2
Ipswich	16.0 km	3.6
Harwich	–	3.5
Felixstowe	5.4 km	2.2
Brightlingsea	20.8 km	1.9
Kesgrave	14.7 km	1.4
Woodbridge	18.4 km	1.3
Kirby Cross	10.0 km	1.0
Wivenhoe	21.8 km	0.6
The typical town	–	5.7