Crap Towns / Paignton / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Paignton?

There were 4.3 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Paignton from April 2023 to March 2026, 25% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were grass, woods and crops set on fire, at 1.9. In 2025/26 it was 5.7, up from 3.7 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	3.7	5.2
2024/25	3.5	5.4
2025/26	5.7	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.9	1.7
Other outdoor fires	1.5	1.5
Bins and rubbish set on fire	0.9	1.9

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Totnes	8.1 km	10.3
Torquay	7.5 km	9.6
Kingsteignton	13.8 km	6.2
Newton Abbot	11.7 km	5.7
Paignton	–	4.3
Dawlish	19.7 km	3.3
Kingsbridge	21.2 km	2.8
Teignmouth	15.4 km	2.5
Brixham	5.0 km	2.2
Bovey Tracey	19.6 km	1.6
Dartmouth	8.6 km	0.6
The typical town	–	5.7