Crap Towns / Southwark / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Southwark?

There were 1.2 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Southwark from April 2023 to March 2026, 79% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 0.5. In 2025/26 it was 1.1, down from 1.2 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	1.2	5.2
2024/25	1.1	5.4
2025/26	1.1	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	0.5	1.9
Other outdoor fires	0.4	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	0.2	1.7

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Tower Hamlets	5.4 km	1.6
Hackney	8.7 km	1.4
Greenwich	9.0 km	1.3
Islington	8.6 km	1.2
City of London	4.6 km	1.2
Southwark	–	1.2
Lewisham	4.7 km	1.0
Westminster	7.4 km	1.0
Lambeth	3.8 km	0.9
Wandsworth	8.2 km	0.7
Kensington and Chelsea	8.7 km	0.3
The typical town	–	5.7