Crap Towns / Margate / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Margate?

There were 5.5 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Margate from April 2023 to March 2026, about the same as the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 2.4. In 2025/26 it was 8.4, up from 4.1 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	4.1	5.2
2024/25	4.1	5.4
2025/26	8.4	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	2.4	1.9
Other outdoor fires	2.2	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.0	1.7

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Broadstairs	3.6 km	10.4
Canterbury	23.2 km	9.7
Whitfield	25.0 km	6.4
Dover	28.0 km	5.9
Herne	17.4 km	5.7
Margate	–	5.5
Whitstable	24.0 km	4.2
Ramsgate	4.6 km	4.1
Aylesham	20.4 km	3.8
Herne Bay	16.0 km	3.5
Deal	17.8 km	2.1
The typical town	–	5.7