Crap Towns / Pelton and Ouston / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Pelton and Ouston?

There were 30.0 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Pelton and Ouston from April 2023 to March 2026, 5.3 times the typical town's 5.7. The most common were grass, woods and crops set on fire, at 16.3. In 2025/26 it was 36.3, up from 22.5 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	22.5	5.2
2024/25	31.3	5.4
2025/26	36.3	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	16.3	1.7
Bins and rubbish set on fire	10.5	1.9
Other outdoor fires	3.2	1.5

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Stanley	5.8 km	72.3
Annfield Plain	8.8 km	62.1
Sacriston	6.6 km	45.3
Shiney Row and Penshaw	7.7 km	42.1
Washington	6.5 km	39.8
Fence Houses	7.7 km	35.9
Gateshead	7.1 km	34.7
Chester-le-Street	3.0 km	34.5
Pelton and Ouston	–	30.0
Birtley	2.9 km	28.6
Whickham	8.9 km	22.4
The typical town	–	5.7