Crap Towns / Thundersley and South Benfleet / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Thundersley and South Benfleet?

There were 4.3 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Thundersley and South Benfleet from April 2023 to March 2026, 25% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were other outdoor fires, at 2.2. In 2025/26 it was 5.7, up from 4.3 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	4.3	5.2
2024/25	2.9	5.4
2025/26	5.7	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Other outdoor fires	2.2	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.4	1.7
Bins and rubbish set on fire	0.7	1.9

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Basildon	9.4 km	11.0
Canvey Island	4.7 km	8.7
Wickford	6.4 km	6.2
Rochford	9.3 km	6.0
Runwell	7.7 km	5.2
Thundersley and South Benfleet	–	4.3
Hockley and Hawkwell	7.4 km	3.5
Rayleigh	3.7 km	3.1
Southend-on-Sea	8.6 km	3.1
South Woodham Ferrers	9.4 km	2.1
Hullbridge	7.1 km	0.5
The typical town	–	5.7