Bittern Lane, Wixams, Bedford, MK42 6AP

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding MK42 6AP, has a female population slightly higher than UK average, with 54.1% of residents being female. Several factors can contribute to this. Women generally live longer than men, resulting in a higher proportion of women in neighborhoods with significant elderly populations. Typically, as people grow older, they tend to relocate from city center addresses to suburban areas, smaller towns, and rural locations. Consequently, these areas often have a higher number of females. A higher female population can also be found in areas with industries that employ more women, such as healthcare, education, and retail.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	52.9%	54.1%	1.2%	51.0%	3.1%
Male	47.1%	45.9%	-1.2%	49.0%	-3.1%

Partnership Status

Across the UK, the average relationship status breakdown is roughly 44% married, 38% single, 9% divorced, 6% widowed, and 2% separated.

In the immediate vicinity of MK42 6AP there is a very large concentration of residents that are married - 57% of the resident population. In contrast, the average marriage rate across the census is about 44%.

Areas with a high percentage of married residents are typically suburban neighborhoods, towns with good schools and family-friendly amenities, and regions with affordable, spacious housing options. Additionally, such areas can be popular among retirees.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	52.7%	28.3%	-24.4%	37.9%	-9.6%
Married: Opposite sex	40.2%	57%	16.8%	44.2%	12.8%
Married: Same sex	0.9%	0%	-0.9%	0.3%	-0.3%
Separated	1.8%	1.8%	0.0%	2.2%	-0.4%
Divorced	3.6%	9%	5.4%	9.1%	-0.1%
Widowed	0.9%	4%	3.1%	6.1%	-2.1%

Health

Across the UK, the average 48.4% rated their health as Very Good, 33.6% as Good, 12.7% as Fair, 4% as Bad, and 1.2% as Very Bad.

Population age significantly impacts residents' health. Additionally, socioeconomic status plays a crucial role: higher income levels and lower poverty rates are linked to better health outcomes. Affluent areas benefit from higher living standards, access to private healthcare, and healthier lifestyle choices.

This area has a high percentage of residents reporting their health as Good or Very Good (90.6%) compared to the average (82%). This typically indicates either a younger population or more affluent area.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	59.9%	60.4%	0.5%	48.4%	12.0%
Good health	31.5%	30.2%	-1.3%	33.6%	-3.4%
Fair health	7%	7.6%	0.6%	12.7%	-5.1%
Bad health	0.6%	1.5%	0.9%	4.0%	-2.5%
Very bad health	1%	0.3%	-0.7%	1.2%	-0.9%

Education and Qualifications

During the 2021 census, the educational qualifications of residents across the UK were as follows: 18.2% had no qualifications, 9.6% had 1-4 GCSEs, 13.4% had 5 or more GCSEs and 1-2 A/AS Levels, 16.9% had 2 or more A Levels, 33.8% held a degree (or equivalent), and 5.4% had completed an apprenticeship.

In the area around MK42 6AP this area, 8.4% of residents have no qualifications. This is significantly lower than the UK average of 18.2%. This area stands out for its high percentage of residents with higher education degree or similar. The UK average is 33.8%, while in this area it is 44.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	3.6%	8.4%	4.8%	18.2%	-9.8%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	14.7%	6.2%	-8.5%	9.6%	-3.4%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	19.2%	15.1%	-4.1%	13.4%	1.7%
Apprenticeship	2.7%	3.1%	0.4%	5.3%	-2.2%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	16.1%	22.7%	6.6%	16.9%	5.8%
Degree or Similar	39.3%	44.4%	5.1%	33.8%	10.6%
Other	4.5%	0%	-4.5%	2.8%	-2.8%

Culture

Ethnic Group

This area closely mirrors the overall ethnic composition of the UK, with 80.5% of the population identifying as white, with UK average of 81.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	1%	1.5%	0.5%	1.1%	0.4%
Chinese	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.7%	-0.7%
Indian	4.5%	4.8%	0.3%	3.1%	1.7%
Pakistani	0.3%	1.2%	0.9%	2.7%	-1.5%
Other Asian	0%	1.2%	1.2%	1.6%	-0.4%
Black African	1.9%	3.9%	2.0%	2.5%	1.4%
Black Caribbean	1.3%	0.3%	-1.0%	1.0%	-0.7%
Mixed White and Asian	2.5%	3.3%	0.8%	0.8%	2.5%
Mixed White and African	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.4%	-0.4%
Mixed White and Caribbean	3.5%	0.3%	-3.2%	0.9%	-0.6%
Mixed Other	0.6%	2.1%	1.5%	0.8%	1.3%
White	83.8%	80.5%	-3.3%	81.4%	-0.9%
Other	0%	0.9%	0.9%	1.6%	-0.7%

Country of Birth

In this area, 86.1% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is similar to the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	88.5%	86.1%	-2.4%	83.2%	2.9%
European Union	4.5%	6.3%	1.8%	6.1%	0.2%
Africa	1.9%	3%	1.1%	2.7%	0.3%
Middle East and Asia	3.8%	4.2%	0.4%	5.6%	-1.4%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%	1.3%	-1.0%
Oceania	1%	0%	-1.0%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	88.2%	85.8%	-2.4%	83.2%	2.6%
10+ Years	0%	8.4%	8.4%	9.8%	-1.4%
5-10 Years	1%	3.9%	2.9%	2.9%	1.0%
2-5 Years	3.5%	1.5%	-2.0%	2.2%	-0.7%
Less than 2 years	7.3%	0.3%	-7.0%	1.9%	-1.6%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	83.3%	76.7%	6.6%
Ireland	1.2%	0.6%	0.6%
Germany	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Italy	0.6%	0.6%	0.0%
Poland	2.7%	1.3%	1.4%
Other EU countries	1.2%	1.5%	-0.3%
Southern Asia	0.9%	1.2%	-0.3%
Central and South America	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
No passport held	9.4%	13.5%	-4.1%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	44.5%	37.2%	7.3%
Christian	44.2%	46.2%	-2.0%
Hindu	3.6%	1.7%	1.9%
Jewish	0.6%	0.5%	0.1%
Muslim	3%	6.5%	-3.5%
Not answered	3.9%	6.0%	-2.1%

Safety

Is Bittern Lane Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Bittern Lane was 40.2 per 1,000 residents, which is 75.5% lower than the Cauldwell average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Bittern Lane has the 13th lowest crime rate of 82 local areas in Cauldwell and the 193rd lowest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 29.2 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has risen by about 485.7%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a higher level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 80% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£55,000

Income Rank
8/10

Household Income in MK42 6AP, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 3/10 (low )
Indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) is used to classify the relative deprivation (a measure of poverty) of the area. It considers the following domains:
Income Deprivation Domain - 4/10 (below average )
The Income Deprivation Domain measures the percentage of people in the population who are experiencing poverty due to having a low income. It includes both those who are unemployed and those who are employed but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Employment Deprivation Domain - 3/10 (low )
The Employment Deprivation Domain measures the proportion of the working-age population in an area involuntarily excluded from the labour market. This includes people who would like to work but are unable to do so due to unemployment, sickness or disability, or caring responsibilities.
Education, Skills and Training Domain - 3/10 (low )
The Education, Skills, and Training Deprivation Domain measures the lack of education and skills in a local area. It has two parts: one for children and young people, and one for adults. The part for children and young people looks at their school achievements ('flow'), while the part for adults looks at the number of adults without qualifications ('stock').
Health Deprivation and Disability Domain - 3/10 (low )
The Health Deprivation and Disability Domain measures the risk of early death and poor quality of life due to bad physical or mental health. It looks at illness, disability, and early death, but not at behaviors or environments that might affect future health.
Crime Domain - 3/10 (low )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 8/10 (high )
The Barriers to Housing and Services Domain measures how easy or hard it is to access housing and local services. It has two parts: one looks at how close local services are, and the other looks at issues like how affordable housing is.
Living Environment Deprivation Domain - 4/10 (below average )
The Living Environment Deprivation Domain measures the quality of the local environment. It has two parts: the "indoors" part looks at housing quality, and the "outdoors" part looks at air quality and road traffic accidents.
Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) - 5/10 (average )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) measures how many children aged 0 to 15 live in low-income families. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low incomes. This includes both those who are unemployed and those who work but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) - 2/10 (very low )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) measures the percentage of people aged 60 or older who have low income. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low income, including both unemployed people and those with low-paying jobs (and who satisfy the respective means tests).

Property Prices

Average property prices on Bittern Lane are based on 26 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for Bedford.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Bittern Lane, Wixams, Bedford, MK42 6AP

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK42 6AP

Average Price
£434,081

Semi-Detached
£424,460

Terraced
£383,446

Detached
£516,616

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Bittern Lane

Average Price
£442,497

Semi-Detached
£437,928

Terraced
£390,048

Detached
£547,869

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Bittern LaneStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
11 Bittern Lane, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£380,000	2023-08-18	£402,353
14 Bittern Lane, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£370,000	2023-07-21	£394,642
11 Bittern Lane, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£385,000	2023-06-30	£415,941
13 Bittern Lane, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£535,000	2022-07-04	£580,134
11 Bittern Lane, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£310,000	2021-06-28	£379,286

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK42 6AP

Employment

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	125
Part-Time Employee	26
Self-Employed	22
Retired	11
Unemployed	9
Looking after home or family	9
Student (economically inactive)	8
Other	6
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	5
Long-Term Sick or disabled	1

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	32
Human health and social work activities	25
Education	25
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	23
Transport and storage	19
Construction	13
Administrative and support service activities	10
Professional, scientific and technical activities	9
Other	8
Information and communication	8
Manufacturing	8
Accommodation and food service activities	5
Financial and insurance activities	5
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	4,167 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Peter Pan Nursery School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	4out of 4	4,503 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Lakeview School School Lane , Off Brooklands Avenue MK42 6BH	3out of 4	248 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Wixams Tree Primary School Green Lane , Wixams MK42 6BA	- not rated	528 yd	Free schools	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Wilstead Primary School Cotton End Road , Wilstead MK45 3BX	3out of 4	1,580 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Elstow School Abbeyfields Road Abbeyfields , Elstow MK42 9GP	3out of 4	2,751 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Cotton End Forest School High Road , MK45 3AG	3out of 4	3,206 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Wixams Academy Green Lane , Wixams MK42 6BA	- not rated	657 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Daubeney Academy Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	3out of 4	3,410 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Academy Mile Road , MK42 9TR	3out of 4	3,527 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Kempston Challenger Academy Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	4,328 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	3out of 4	5,167 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School

Middle deemed secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Marston Vale Middle School The Crescent , Stewartby MK43 9NH	2out of 4	4,602 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School

16 plus

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Kimberley 16 - 19 Stem College Green Lane , Stewartby MK43 9LY	- not rated	5,212 yd	Free schools 16 to 19	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford College Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AH	- not rated	5,278 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Ridgeway School Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	4,347 yd	Community special school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Greys Education Centre Manor Drive , Kempston MK42 7AB	3out of 4	4,463 yd	Academy alternative provision converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Grange Academy Halsey Road , Kempston MK42 8AU	3out of 4	4,598 yd	Academy special converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
E-Spired Centre of Excellence The Raleigh Centre , Ampthill Road MK42 9HE	- not rated	4,658 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
St John's School Austin Canons , Bedford Road MK42 8AA	4out of 4	4,708 yd	Academy special converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Lakeside Fish & Chip Shop	Unit 2, 147 Brooklands Avenue	155 yd
Seasons Restaurant	Seasons Garden Centre, Bedford Road	309 yd
Bar & Bistro @ Wixams	Wixams Retirement Village, Bedford Road	993 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Portu Gallo's Ltd	Unit 1, 147 Brooklands Avenue		155 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Co-Op (Southern Co-Op Ltd).	151 Brooklands Avenue		155 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Wixams 3G Green Lane	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches	482 yd
Wixams Tree Primary School WIXAMS TREE PRIMARY WIXAMS TREE PRIMARY GREEN LANE	grass pitches	618 yd
Wixams Academy WIXAMS ACADEMY WIXAMS ACADEMY GREEN LANE	grass pitches	744 yd
Jubilee Playing Field THE SQUARE	grass pitches	1,070 yd

Broadband

Technology Aviability

Percentage of premises that have Superfast Broadband (30Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (100Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	100.0%

Speed Aviability

Percentage of premises unable to receive 2Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 5Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 10Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 30Mbit/s	0.0%

Download Speed

Median download speed	79.8 Mbit/s
Average download speed	89.3 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	158.63 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	158.63 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	20 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	19.5 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	29.65 Mbit/s

Broadband statistics are based on Ofcom's Communications Market Report (CMR) 2022.