Merle Close, Bridgwater, TA6 5LS

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding TA6 5LS has a slightly higher male population, with 50.2% 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	47.9%	49.8%	1.9%	51.0%	-1.2%
Male	52.1%	50.2%	-1.9%	49.0%	1.2%

Partnership Status

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

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	36.9%	39.6%	2.7%	37.9%	1.7%
Married: Opposite sex	43%	39.6%	-3.4%	44.2%	-4.6%
Married: Same sex	0%	0.6%	0.6%	0.3%	0.3%
Civil partnership: Opposite sex	0%	0.6%	0.6%	0.1%	0.5%
Separated	2.9%	2.1%	-0.8%	2.2%	-0.1%
Divorced	12.5%	13.2%	0.7%	9.1%	4.1%
Widowed	4.7%	4.4%	-0.3%	6.1%	-1.7%

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.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	44.3%	43.5%	-0.8%	48.4%	-4.9%
Good health	39.2%	37%	-2.2%	33.6%	3.4%
Fair health	13%	14.9%	1.9%	12.7%	2.2%
Bad health	3.1%	3.6%	0.5%	4.0%	-0.4%
Very bad health	0.5%	1%	0.5%	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.

This area stands out for its low percentage of residents with higher education degree. The UK average is 33.8%, while in this area it is 14.9%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	23%	24.3%	1.3%	18.2%	6.1%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	17.4%	13.2%	-4.2%	9.6%	3.6%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	15.1%	17.3%	2.2%	13.4%	3.9%
Apprenticeship	4.9%	10.2%	5.3%	5.3%	4.9%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	16.3%	15.8%	-0.5%	16.9%	-1.1%
Degree or Similar	16%	14.9%	-1.1%	33.8%	-18.9%
Other	7.3%	4.4%	-2.9%	2.8%	1.6%

Culture

Ethnic Group

This area closely mirrors the overall ethnic composition of the UK, with 89.2% of the population identifying as white, with UK average of 81.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	0.7%	0%	-0.7%	1.1%	-1.1%
Chinese	0.2%	0%	-0.2%	0.7%	-0.7%
Indian	0.5%	4.6%	4.1%	3.1%	1.5%
Other Asian	0.2%	4.1%	3.9%	1.6%	2.5%
White	97.9%	89.2%	-8.7%	81.4%	7.8%
Gypsy or Irish Traveller	0.2%	0%	-0.2%	0.1%	-0.1%
Roma	0%	1.2%	1.2%	0.2%	1.0%
Arab	0%	0.2%	0.2%	0.6%	-0.4%
Other	0.2%	0.7%	0.5%	1.6%	-0.9%

Country of Birth

In this area, 71.2% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is lower than the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	87%	71.2%	-15.8%	83.2%	-12.0%
European Union	9.9%	17.3%	7.4%	6.1%	11.2%
Rest of Europe	0%	1%	1.0%	0.8%	0.2%
Africa	0.7%	1%	0.3%	2.7%	-1.7%
Middle East and Asia	1.7%	8.9%	7.2%	5.6%	3.3%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.2%	0.7%	0.5%	1.3%	-0.6%
Oceania	0.5%	0%	-0.5%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	87%	71%	-16.0%	83.2%	-12.2%
10+ Years	4%	10.1%	6.1%	9.8%	0.3%
5-10 Years	1.9%	8.4%	6.5%	2.9%	5.5%
2-5 Years	5%	5.8%	0.8%	2.2%	3.6%
Less than 2 years	2.1%	4.8%	2.7%	1.9%	2.9%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	56.7%	76.7%	-20.0%
Italy	0.2%	0.6%	-0.4%
Portugal	8.4%	0.5%	7.9%
Lithuania	3.6%	0.3%	3.3%
Poland	6.3%	1.3%	5.0%
Romania	1.2%	0.9%	0.3%
Other EU countries	4.1%	1.5%	2.6%
Turkey	0.2%	0.1%	0.1%
Other Europe	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%
Middle East	0.2%	0.1%	0.1%
Southern Asia	1.4%	1.2%	0.2%
South-East Asia	1.2%	0.2%	1.0%
North America and the Caribbean	0.2%	0.3%	-0.1%
Central and South America	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%
No passport held	15.6%	13.5%	2.1%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	39.4%	37.2%	2.2%
Christian	53.8%	46.2%	7.6%
Buddhist	0.2%	0.5%	-0.3%
Muslim	0.2%	6.5%	-6.3%
Other religion	0.2%	0.6%	-0.4%
Not answered	6%	6.0%	0.0%

Safety

Is Merle Close Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Merle Close was 198.2 per 1,000 residents, which is 13.6% lower than the Bridgwater North & Central average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Merle Close has the 15th highest crime rate of 35 local areas in Bridgwater North & Central and the 167th highest crime rate of 1,848 local areas in Somerset .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 89.1 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been falling year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has risen by about 34.3%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a slightly lower level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 68% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have higher average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£39,900

Income Rank
4/10

Household Income in TA6 5LS, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 6/10 (average )
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 - 5/10 (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 - 5/10 (average )
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 - 8/10 (high )
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 - 5/10 (average )
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 - 7/10 (above average )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 3/10 (low )
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 - 9/10 (very high )
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) - 6/10 (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) - 5/10 (average )
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 Merle Close are based on 3 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for Somerset.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Merle Close, Bridgwater, TA6 5LS

Estimated Average Property Prices for TA6 5LS

Average Price
£178,329

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
£215,249

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£141,409

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Merle Close

Average Price
£228,691

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
£219,669

Detached
£324,094

Flats/Maisonettes
£142,308

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Merle CloseStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
12 Merle Close, Bridgwater, Somerset Terraced, an established residential building	£160,000	2017-03-10	£219,669
1 Merle Close, Bridgwater, Somerset Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£111,000	2015-10-19	£142,308
1 Merle Close, Bridgwater, Somerset Detached, an established residential building	£210,000	2007-05-31	£324,094

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for TA6 5LS

Employment

TA6 5LS area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 3% 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	155
Retired	67
Part-Time Employee	41
Self-Employed	29
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	12
Unemployed	11
Looking after home or family	10
Other	8
Long-Term Sick or disabled	8
Student (economically inactive)	4

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	52
Manufacturing	37
Human health and social work activities	30
Construction	17
Transport and storage	14
Education	14
Administrative and support service activities	14
Professional, scientific and technical activities	11
Accommodation and food service activities	9
Other	8
Financial and insurance activities	7
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	6
Information and communication	6
Real estate activities	3
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	2
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	2
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	2

Schools

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Eastover Primary School Wellington Road , TA6 5EX	3out of 4	502 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Northgate Primary School Northgate , TA6 3EU	- not rated	1,085 yd	Free schools	Yes	Mixed	More About School
St John and St Francis Church School Westonzoyland Road , TA6 5BP	2out of 4	1,109 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
Hamp Nursery and Infants' School Rhode Lane , TA6 6JB	3out of 4	1,264 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Hamp Academy Rhode Lane , TA6 6JB	2out of 4	1,407 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Robert Blake Science College Hamp Avenue , TA6 6AW	3out of 4	1,124 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Chilton Trinity School Chilton Street , TA6 3JA	- not rated	1,994 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Haygrove School Durleigh Road , TA6 7HW	3out of 4	2,269 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

16 plus

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bridgwater and Taunton College Bath Road , TA6 4PZ	- not rated	717 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

All-through

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bridgwater College Academy Parkway , TA6 4QY	3out of 4	1,132 yd	Academy sponsor led	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Polden Bower School Bower Lane , TA6 4GU	3out of 4	1,130 yd	Foundation special school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
The Bridge School Sedgemoor The Cossington Centre , Main Road TA6 3RG	3out of 4	1,351 yd	Pupil referral unit	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Phoenix Academy Brook Farm , Newton Road TA6 6NA	- not rated	5,089 yd	Other independent special school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Regresso	6-8 Monmouth Street	520 yd
Windsor Catering	Unit 3	562 yd
Pizza Nera	57-59 Eastover	590 yd
Bus Station Cafe	Eastover Indoor Shop Centre, 51-55 Eastover	616 yd
On The Go Diner	40 Eastover	622 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
Bristol & Exeter Inn	135 St John Street	181 yd
The Crown Inn	96 St John Street	190 yd
The Commercial Inn	2 Redgate Street	248 yd
The New Foresters	101 St John Street	250 yd
Great Western Railway Staff Association	Wellington Road	301 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Moghul Indian Takeaway	112 St John Street	155 yd
Scoops	77 St John Street	306 yd
Yummies Kebab	67 St John Street	325 yd
USA Fried Chicken	30 St John Street	395 yd
China Star	38 St John Street	428 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Portuguese Delights	8 Monmouth Street	520 yd
The Co-Operative	Westonzoyland Road	536 yd
Cantinho das mercearias & charcutaria	51-55 Eastover	616 yd
Asda	East Quay	821 yd
The Co-Operative	Paragon Place, 105 Taunton Road	828 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Eastover Park (Cranleigh Gardens) Cranleigh Gardens	grass pitches	224 yd
Trim Wise (Bridgwater) 45-55 45-55 Eastover	health and fitness suite	638 yd
Bridgwater & Taunton College Sports Zone BATH ROAD	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches, health and fitness suite	709 yd
Fairfax Park FAIRFAX PARK FAIRFAX PARK BATH ROAD	grass pitches	728 yd
Curves For Women (Bridgewater) (Closed) UNIT B4 UNIT B4 BATH ROAD	health and fitness suite	847 yd
Sydenham Community Centre PARKWAY		888 yd
Bridgwater And Albion Rfc Ltd Bath Road	grass pitches	941 yd
Bridgwater College Academy PARKWAY	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches, health and fitness suite, squash courts	1,066 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	64 Mbit/s
Average download speed	56.8 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	76.5 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	76.5 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	19.8 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	16.4 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	20 Mbit/s

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

Overview of TA6 5LS