Crap Towns / Merley / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Merley?

There were 4.2 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Merley from April 2023 to March 2026, 26% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were other outdoor fires, at 3.6. In 2025/26 it was 6.3, up from 0.8 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	0.8	5.2
2024/25	5.5	5.4
2025/26	6.3	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Other outdoor fires	3.6	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	0.6	1.7
Bins and rubbish set on fire	0.0	1.9

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Poole	6.2 km	6.8
Corfe Mullen	4.2 km	5.3
Bournemouth	7.9 km	5.3
Merley	–	4.2
Wimborne Minster	2.7 km	4.0
Ferndown	5.5 km	3.7
Upton	6.4 km	3.1
Verwood	12.6 km	2.8
West Moors	7.9 km	2.7
Wareham	14.3 km	2.3
Ashley Heath	11.2 km	2.0
The typical town	–	5.7