Crap Towns / Rayleigh / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Rayleigh?

There were 3.1 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Rayleigh from April 2023 to March 2026, 46% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 1.1. In 2025/26 it was 4.3, up from 2.4 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	2.4	5.2
2024/25	2.6	5.4
2025/26	4.3	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	1.1	1.9
Other outdoor fires	1.0	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.0	1.7

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Canvey Island	8.1 km	8.7
Wickford	5.8 km	6.2
Rochford	7.4 km	6.0
Runwell	6.2 km	5.2
Thundersley and South Benfleet	3.7 km	4.3
Hockley and Hawkwell	4.3 km	3.5
Rayleigh	–	3.1
Southend-on-Sea	8.1 km	3.1
South Woodham Ferrers	5.8 km	2.1
Ashingdon	6.6 km	0.8
Hullbridge	3.5 km	0.5
The typical town	–	5.7