Crap Towns / Polegate / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Polegate?

There were 4.0 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Polegate from April 2023 to March 2026, 30% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were other outdoor fires, at 2.0. In 2025/26 it was 6.0, up from 4.0 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	4.0	5.2
2024/25	2.0	5.4
2025/26	6.0	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Other outdoor fires	2.0	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.7	1.7
Bins and rubbish set on fire	0.3	1.9

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Newhaven	14.3 km	10.3
Eastbourne	4.2 km	9.5
Lewes	18.1 km	8.1
Stone Cross	3.7 km	8.1
Bexhill-on-Sea	14.5 km	7.3
Peacehaven	17.1 km	4.9
Hailsham	5.1 km	4.7
Polegate	–	4.0
Lower Willingdon	1.6 km	2.6
Heathfield	16.2 km	2.0
Seaford	10.5 km	1.8
The typical town	–	5.7