Crap Towns / South Shields / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in South Shields?

There were 43.7 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in South Shields from April 2023 to March 2026, 7.7 times the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 22.1. In 2025/26 it was 37.9, up from 37.6 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	37.6	5.2
2024/25	55.6	5.4
2025/26	37.9	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	22.1	1.9
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	18.8	1.7
Other outdoor fires	2.9	1.5

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Jarrow	3.6 km	59.4
Boldon Colliery	3.9 km	57.6
East Boldon and West Boldon	3.7 km	48.2
Sunderland	8.3 km	47.0
South Shields	–	43.7
Hebburn	5.8 km	36.2
Tynemouth	4.8 km	33.4
Wallsend	6.6 km	26.8
Whitburn	4.7 km	16.7
Shiremoor	8.3 km	14.9
Whitley Bay	8.1 km	9.4
The typical town	–	5.7