Crap Towns / Swanley / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Swanley?

There were 7.1 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Swanley from April 2023 to March 2026, 25% higher than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 4.1. In 2025/26 it was 5.9, down from 12.4 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	12.4	5.2
2024/25	3.0	5.4
2025/26	5.9	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	4.1	1.9
Other outdoor fires	1.8	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.1	1.7

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Purfleet-on-Thames	10.3 km	11.6
Swanscombe	10.7 km	9.2
Chafford Hundred and West Thurrock	12.2 km	7.8
Swanley	–	7.1
Dartford	7.0 km	4.9
Longfield, New Ash Green and Hartley	10.1 km	4.1
Stone	8.4 km	2.4
Bromley	8.8 km	2.2
Otford and Kemsing	9.5 km	1.8
Bexley	7.2 km	1.5
Greenwich	11.6 km	1.3
The typical town	–	5.7