Crap Towns / Luton / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Luton?

There were 5.3 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Luton from April 2023 to March 2026, 7% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 2.0. In 2025/26 it was 7.7, up from 4.2 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	4.2	5.2
2024/25	4.0	5.4
2025/26	7.7	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	2.0	1.9
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.7	1.7
Other outdoor fires	1.7	1.5

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Houghton Regis	6.9 km	15.1
Leighton Buzzard	16.6 km	10.2
Stevenage	16.3 km	7.6
Dunstable	7.4 km	6.2
Hemel Hempstead	16.1 km	5.9
Redbourn	10.7 km	5.8
Luton	–	5.3
Flitwick	13.3 km	3.4
Ampthill	15.3 km	2.9
Hitchin	12.4 km	2.7
Harpenden	10.3 km	2.3
The typical town	–	5.7