Waterside Way, Elstow, Bedford, MK42 6DB

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding MK42 6DB has a slightly higher male population, with 50% of residents being male. Several factors can contribute to this, including areas with industries or sectors that predominantly employ men, proximity to universities or technical schools with a higher enrollment of male students, presence of all-male or predominantly male institutions (military academies, boarding schools).

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	53.3%	50%	-3.3%	51.0%	-1.0%
Male	46.7%	50%	3.3%	49.0%	1.0%

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 6DB there is a very large concentration of residents that are married - 52.9% 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	31.3%	33.8%	2.5%	37.9%	-4.1%
Married: Opposite sex	46.2%	52.9%	6.7%	44.2%	8.7%
Separated	3.6%	2.3%	-1.3%	2.2%	0.1%
Divorced	7.6%	9.5%	1.9%	9.1%	0.4%
Widowed	11.3%	1.5%	-9.8%	6.1%	-4.6%

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 (93.4%) 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	45.5%	63.8%	18.3%	48.4%	15.4%
Good health	39.7%	29.6%	-10.1%	33.6%	-4.0%
Fair health	10.7%	4.4%	-6.3%	12.7%	-8.3%
Bad health	3.2%	1.2%	-2.0%	4.0%	-2.8%
Very bad health	0.9%	1%	0.1%	1.2%	-0.2%

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 6DB this area, 7.6% of residents have no qualifications. This is significantly lower than the UK average of 18.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	20%	7.6%	-12.4%	18.2%	-10.6%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	12%	8.4%	-3.6%	9.6%	-1.2%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	17.1%	14.5%	-2.6%	13.4%	1.1%
Apprenticeship	4.7%	2.3%	-2.4%	5.3%	-3.0%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	10.9%	24.4%	13.5%	16.9%	7.5%
Degree or Similar	30.5%	41.6%	11.1%	33.8%	7.8%
Other	4.7%	1.1%	-3.6%	2.8%	-1.7%

Culture

Ethnic Group

This area closely mirrors the overall ethnic composition of the UK, with 87% of the population identifying as white, with UK average of 81.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Chinese	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.7%	-0.7%
Indian	1.7%	1.2%	-0.5%	3.1%	-1.9%
Pakistani	1.2%	1.2%	0.0%	2.7%	-1.5%
Other Asian	0.3%	0.2%	-0.1%	1.6%	-1.4%
Black African	0%	3.9%	3.9%	2.5%	1.4%
Black Caribbean	0%	0.7%	0.7%	1.0%	-0.3%
Other Black	0%	0.7%	0.7%	0.5%	0.2%
Mixed White and Asian	0.9%	0.7%	-0.2%	0.8%	-0.1%
Mixed White and African	1.2%	0%	-1.2%	0.4%	-0.4%
Mixed White and Caribbean	2%	3.7%	1.7%	0.9%	2.8%
Mixed Other	1.4%	0.2%	-1.2%	0.8%	-0.6%
White	91%	87%	-4.0%	81.4%	5.6%
Roma	0%	0.2%	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%

Country of Birth

In this area, 90.6% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is higher than the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	93.9%	90.6%	-3.3%	83.2%	7.4%
European Union	2.9%	5.2%	2.3%	6.1%	-0.9%
Rest of Europe	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.8%	-0.8%
Africa	1.2%	2.2%	1.0%	2.7%	-0.5%
Middle East and Asia	1.4%	1%	-0.4%	5.6%	-4.6%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0%	1%	1.0%	1.3%	-0.3%
Oceania	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	92.8%	90.4%	-2.4%	83.2%	7.2%
10+ Years	0.3%	6.7%	6.4%	9.8%	-3.1%
5-10 Years	0.3%	1.7%	1.4%	2.9%	-1.2%
2-5 Years	1.7%	1%	-0.7%	2.2%	-1.2%
Less than 2 years	4.9%	0.2%	-4.7%	1.9%	-1.7%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	84.9%	76.7%	8.2%
Ireland	1%	0.6%	0.4%
Italy	0.7%	0.6%	0.1%
Portugal	0.5%	0.5%	0.0%
Poland	2.7%	1.3%	1.4%
Other EU countries	1%	1.5%	-0.5%
South and Eastern Africa	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%
Southern Asia	0.2%	1.2%	-1.0%
North America and the Caribbean	0.7%	0.3%	0.4%
No passport held	7.9%	13.5%	-5.6%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	50.2%	37.2%	13.0%
Christian	43.4%	46.2%	-2.8%
Muslim	1.2%	6.5%	-5.3%
Other religion	1%	0.6%	0.4%
Not answered	4.2%	6.0%	-1.8%

Safety

Is Waterside Way Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Waterside Way was 115.3 per 1,000 residents, which is 29.6% lower than the Cauldwell average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Waterside Way has the 28th highest crime rate of 82 local areas in Cauldwell and the 110th highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 49.0 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has risen by about 10.2%.

🔎 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 6DB, 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 Waterside Way are based on 17 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 Waterside Way, Elstow, Bedford, MK42 6DB

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK42 6DB

Average Price
£581,081

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£581,081

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Waterside Way

Average Price
£616,904

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£616,904

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Waterside WayStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
4 Waterside Way, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£510,000	2022-07-29	£553,025
2 Waterside Way, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£405,000	2021-03-30	£494,635
12 Waterside Way, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£485,000	2019-12-13	£597,883
7 Waterside Way, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£400,000	2015-12-14	£596,322
12 Waterside Way, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£435,000	2015-12-11	£648,501

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK42 6DB

Employment

MK42 6DB area has a high level of entrepreneurship. Only 25% of streets have higher percent of entrepreneur residents. 12% of population in this area is self-employed, while the average in the UK is 9.7%. High number of entrepreneurs usually leads to relatively high economic growth, higher paid jobs and better quality of life in the area.

MK42 6DB area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 2% residents of this area were unemployed, while the average in the UK was 4.83%. A low level of unemployment in an area indicates a strong job market, where most people who are seeking work can find employment. This generally reflects a healthy economy in the area.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	147
Part-Time Employee	36
Self-Employed	31
Retired	11
Looking after home or family	11
Long-Term Sick or disabled	9
Unemployed	6
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	5
Student (economically inactive)	5
Other	4

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	33
Human health and social work activities	25
Manufacturing	19
Education	16
Construction	16
Professional, scientific and technical activities	16
Transport and storage	12
Administrative and support service activities	10
Information and communication	8
Real estate activities	7
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	7
Other	5
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	2
Financial and insurance activities	2
Accommodation and food service activities	1
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	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	3,940 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Peter Pan Nursery School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	4out of 4	4,239 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	392 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Wixams Tree Primary School Green Lane , Wixams MK42 6BA	- not rated	523 yd	Free schools	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Wilstead Primary School Cotton End Road , Wilstead MK45 3BX	3out of 4	1,902 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Elstow School Abbeyfields Road Abbeyfields , Elstow MK42 9GP	3out of 4	2,517 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Springfield Primary School Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7LJ	2out of 4	3,026 yd	Academy converter	No	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	640 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Daubeney Academy Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	3out of 4	3,098 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Academy Mile Road , MK42 9TR	3out of 4	3,358 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Kempston Challenger Academy Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	4,010 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	3out of 4	4,930 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	4,550 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School

16 plus

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bedford College Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AH	- not rated	5,037 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Kimberley 16 - 19 Stem College Green Lane , Stewartby MK43 9LY	- not rated	5,093 yd	Free schools 16 to 19	No	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	4,031 yd	Community special school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Greys Education Centre Manor Drive , Kempston MK42 7AB	3out of 4	4,140 yd	Academy alternative provision converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Grange Academy Halsey Road , Kempston MK42 8AU	3out of 4	4,286 yd	Academy special converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
E-Spired Centre of Excellence The Raleigh Centre , Ampthill Road MK42 9HE	- not rated	4,413 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
St John's School Austin Canons , Bedford Road MK42 8AA	4out of 4	4,420 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
Seasons Restaurant	Seasons Garden Centre, Bedford Road	156 yd
Lakeside Fish & Chip Shop	Unit 2, 147 Brooklands Avenue	179 yd
Bar & Bistro @ Wixams	Wixams Retirement Village, Bedford Road	718 yd
Olive Catering Services & B&M	B&M Bargains, Zander Way	836 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Portu Gallo's Ltd	Unit 1, 147 Brooklands Avenue		179 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Co-Op (Southern Co-Op Ltd).	151 Brooklands Avenue		179 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Wixams 3G Green Lane	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches	310 yd
Wixams Tree Primary School WIXAMS TREE PRIMARY WIXAMS TREE PRIMARY GREEN LANE	grass pitches	547 yd
Wixams Academy WIXAMS ACADEMY WIXAMS ACADEMY GREEN LANE	grass pitches	673 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	33.5 Mbit/s
Average download speed	46.5 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	160 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	160 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	7.7 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	9.6 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	30 Mbit/s

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