Crap Towns / Whitley Bay / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Whitley Bay?

There were 9.4 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Whitley Bay from April 2023 to March 2026, 1.6 times the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 5.7. In 2025/26 it was 11.9, up from 6.3 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	6.3	5.2
2024/25	10.0	5.4
2025/26	11.9	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	5.7	1.9
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	2.7	1.7
Other outdoor fires	1.0	1.5

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Jarrow	8.5 km	59.4
South Shields	8.1 km	43.7
Hebburn	8.6 km	36.2
Tynemouth	3.6 km	33.4
Blyth	9.1 km	28.8
Wallsend	6.0 km	26.8
Killingworth	6.9 km	20.7
Seaton Delaval	4.2 km	17.1
Longbenton	7.2 km	16.7
Shiremoor	2.9 km	14.9
Whitley Bay	–	9.4
The typical town	–	5.7