Crap Towns / Merton / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Merton?

There were 1.3 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Merton from April 2023 to March 2026, 77% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 0.5. In 2025/26 it was 2.0, up from 1.0 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	1.0	5.2
2024/25	0.9	5.4
2025/26	2.0	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	0.5	1.9
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	0.5	1.7
Other outdoor fires	0.3	1.5

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Ewell	7.8 km	3.2
Banstead	9.7 km	3.0
Croydon	9.8 km	1.6
Sutton	5.5 km	1.4
Merton	–	1.3
Richmond upon Thames	8.8 km	1.2
Kingston upon Thames	6.7 km	1.1
Worcester Park and Stoneleigh	5.8 km	1.1
Lambeth	7.3 km	0.9
Hammersmith and Fulham	9.6 km	0.7
Wandsworth	4.7 km	0.7
The typical town	–	5.7