Postcode insights

MK40 1BS

Dame Alice Street

Harpur

Interactive map showing MK40 1BS and surrounding area

Detailed insights for MK40 1BS

Overview

Postcode MK40 1BS is located in an urban city, within the Harpur ward of Bedford in the East of England region, and forms part of the Harpur area. It has very high deprivation and very high crime levels, with around 297.9 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, roughly 3.6× the East of England average of 82 per 1,000. The average income per household in Harpur is £43,537 per year. The nearest station is Bedford, about 0.5 miles away. There are 7 primary and 2 secondary schools in the area. There is 1 park nearby, the closest medium park is St Mary's Gardens.

Crime rate
10/10
Crimes per 1k residents
298
Deprivation level
10/10
Income level
1/10
Social housing
3.5%
Connectivity
N/A
Flood Risk
No risk
Noise Level
High

Deprivation level

10/10

Harpur has a very high level of deprivation, ranked at position 2,056 out of 32,844 areas in the United Kingdom, placing it within the top 6% most deprived areas in England.

Crime level

10/10

Harpur has a very high crime rate, with approximately 297.9 reported incidents per 1,000 population each year.

Social housing

3.5%

Approximately 3.5% of homes on this street are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. Across the surrounding area, around 22.2% of dwellings are socially rented.

Income level

1/10

The average income per household in Harpur is £43,537 per year.

Noise Level

High

High noise level (70.0-74.9 dB) from road, approximately 28 ft away from MK40 1BS.

Flood risk

No risk

Harpur near MK40 1BS has no flood risk (less than 0.1% chance of a flood each year) from rivers and sea.

Transport

The nearest station is Bedford located about 0.5 miles away. There are 2 stations nearby.

Nearby public transport stations for MK40 1BS
DistanceNameLinesDirections
0.5 mi

Bedford

N/A

Walking directions to Bedford
0.6 mi

Bedford St Johns

N/A

Walking directions to Bedford St Johns

Parks

Nearby parks and green spaces for MK40 1BS
DistanceNameSizeDirections
0.4 miSt Mary's GardensMediumWalking directions to St Mary's Gardens

Area Profile

Population
408
Population density
11,178.1 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
162.1(+414%)
Anti-social behaviour
45.63(+294%)
Other crime
38.11(+1844%)
Public order
25.23(+393%)
Criminal damage and arson
22.01(+247%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
163
40.05%
Other White
92
22.6%
African
22
5.41%
White and Black Caribbean (mixed)
18
4.42%
Other Black
15
3.69%
Total population: 407

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
116
31.44%
No qualifications
71
19.24%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
63
17.07%
Level 3 (A level)
46
12.47%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
44
11.92%
Total 16+ residents: 369

Housing

Housing tenure

Private landlord or letting agency
102
88.7%
Owns with a mortgage
4
3.48%
Other forms of private rent
4
3.48%
Other social rented
3
2.61%
Owns outright
1
0.87%
Total households: 115

Property prices in Harpur

Median price£278,000
Price per sq ft£331
Sales (last 12 months)91
Typical range (middle 50%)£191K – £360K

Based on 91 recent sales, the median property price is £278,000 (about £331 per square foot) in Harpur area, with individual transactions ranging from £77,500 up to £1,025,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Harpur over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached11£418,000£331
Semi-Detached20£345,000£336
Terraced27£290,000£342
Flats33£158,000£276

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Harpur

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Harpur.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£265,530£120,000£280,000£202,000
2017£275,000£128,498£450,000£235,000
2018£397,500£160,000£300,000£230,000
2019£266,500£140,000£300,000£265,250
2020£340,750£135,000£325,000£215,000
2021£305,000£169,000£325,000£262,500
2022£387,500£155,250£361,000£293,500
2023£345,000£149,250£359,750£295,000
2024£424,000£155,000£433,750£312,500
2025£401,525£157,000£337,500£281,500
2026£787,500£175,000£340,000£325,000
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Harpur.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Harpur.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£294£222£228£243
2017£297£258£291£272
2018£289£286£301£294
2019£276£250£281£281
2020£286£220£264£266
2021£265£292£296£287
2022£345£290£322£314
2023£331£253£320£322
2024£279£282£297£336
2025£330£254£319£336
2026£322£335£297£336
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Harpur.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for Harpur in the last year.

Recent sales

There were 19 recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK40 1BS.

Recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK40 1BS
DateAddressTypeTenurePriceMap
27 Jun 2025Flat 11, Albion House, 14 - 18, Lime Street, Bedford, MK40 1LDFlatsLeasehold£165,000
28 May 202584, High Street, Bedford, MK40 1NNOtherFreehold£345,000
27 Feb 202529, Harpur Street, Bedford, MK40 1LAOtherFreehold£401,000
01 May 20258, St Loyes Street, Bedford, MK40 1EPOtherFreehold£310,000
09 May 20252, Hawes Court, Bedford, MK40 1AWFlatsLeasehold£242,500

Schools

In the MK40 1BS postcode area, located within Harpur, there are 7 primary and 2 secondary schools in close proximity.

Nearby primary and secondary schools for MK40 1BS
DistancePhaseNameTypeRating
0.3 miNot applicableBedford SchoolOther independent school

N/A

0.3 miPrimaryPriory Primary SchoolFoundation school

Outstanding

0.4 mi16 plusBedford CollegeFurther education

N/A

Local amenities

15 nearby supermarkets & convenience stores within mi of MK40 1BS

Nearby supermarkets & convenience stores for MK40 1BS
DistanceNameAddressDirections
0.1 miThe Boss ManHigh Street, Bedford, MK40 1NEWalking directions to The Boss Man
0.1 miLidl5,7,9 St. Peter's Street, Bedford, MK40 2PNWalking directions to Lidl
0.1 miKasztelan62 High Street, Bedford, MK40 1NTWalking directions to Kasztelan
0.1 miLondis41 Tavistock Street, Bedford, MK40 2RBWalking directions to Londis
0.1 miMorrisons Daily5,6 Greenhill Street, Bedford, MK40 1LXWalking directions to Morrisons Daily

Council Tax Bands

Annual council tax rates for Bedford district (2025-26).

Band A£1,567
Band B£1,829
Band C£2,090
Band D£2,351
Band E£2,873
Band F£3,396
Band G£3,918
Band H£4,702

Council tax bands are based on the value of your property. Most homes fall into bands A to D.

Local councillor and member of parliament

Elected local representatives for MK40 1BS, including ward councillors and the local member of parliament.

Local councillors

Colleen Atkins

Harpur - Elected 4 May 2023

Labour Party

Zara Layne

Harpur - Elected 4 May 2023

Labour Party

Member of parliament

Mohammad Yasin

Bedford - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Labour Party

Geographic Information

DistrictBedfordE06000055
Parliamentary ConstituencyBedfordE14001084
WardHarpurE05014502
ParishBedford, unparished areaE43000273
MSOA (Middle Layer Super Output Area)HarpurE02003625
LSOA (Lower Layer Super Output Area)Bedford 010FE01017502
Police ForceBedfordshire
Postcode Introduced1980-01-01

Frequently asked questions about MK40 1BS

Is MK40 1BS (Harpur) safe?

The area around MK40 1BS records about 298 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a very high crime rate for England: it scores 10 out of 10 on the Area360 crime scale, where 10 is the highest crime level. Across East of England as a whole the rate is about 82 per 1,000. The most common offences locally are violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order.

What is the average house price near MK40 1BS?

The median sale price around MK40 1BS in Harpur is £278,000 (about £331 per square foot) based on 91 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

What schools are near MK40 1BS?

There are 17 schools close to MK40 1BS, including Bedford School, Priory Primary School (Outstanding) and Bedford College. Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

What is the nearest station to MK40 1BS?

The closest station to MK40 1BS is Bedford, about 847 m away.

How deprived is the area around MK40 1BS?

MK40 1BS scores 10 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. Its neighbourhood ranks 2,056 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

Who represents MK40 1BS (Harpur) in Parliament and on the local council?

The Member of Parliament for Bedford covering MK40 1BS is Mohammad Yasin (Labour Party), elected at the 2024 general election. The area is represented by 2 local councillors: Colleen Atkins (Labour Party) and Zara Layne (Labour Party).

Data Sources

All data is sourced from official UK government agencies and public datasets. Last updated: 16/07/2026. Read more about how our statistics are calculated.