Crap Towns / Preston / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Preston?

There were 18.6 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Preston from April 2023 to March 2026, 3.3 times the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 14.7. In 2025/26 it was 19.1, up from 17.7 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	17.7	5.2
2024/25	19.0	5.4
2025/26	19.1	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	14.7	1.9
Other outdoor fires	2.3	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.7	1.7

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Preston	–	18.6
Bamber Bridge	5.0 km	8.2
Longridge	9.0 km	5.8
Fulwood	2.4 km	5.4
Leyland	8.5 km	5.3
Penwortham	3.7 km	4.5
Cottam	5.1 km	3.5
Euxton	11.1 km	3.2
Kirkham	11.2 km	3.2
Longton	8.5 km	2.1
Tarleton and Hesketh Bank	13.0 km	1.4
The typical town	–	5.7