Crap Towns / Taunton / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Taunton?

There were 6.5 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Taunton from April 2023 to March 2026, 14% higher than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were other outdoor fires, at 3.4. In 2025/26 it was 5.5, down from 5.9 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	5.9	5.2
2024/25	8.0	5.4
2025/26	5.5	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Other outdoor fires	3.4	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	2.0	1.7
Bins and rubbish set on fire	1.1	1.9

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Bridgwater	13.7 km	11.6
Chard	18.8 km	9.6
Ilminster	16.9 km	8.0
Wellington	9.8 km	6.8
Taunton	–	6.5
Highbridge	24.3 km	6.4
Honiton	25.7 km	6.2
Cullompton	27.4 km	5.7
Crewkerne	26.5 km	4.5
Burnham-on-Sea	26.0 km	3.5
Somerton	25.7 km	2.9
The typical town	–	5.7