Postcode insights

MK45 3AX

High Road

Shortstown

Interactive map showing MK45 3AX and surrounding area

Detailed insights for MK45 3AX

Overview

Postcode MK45 3AX is located in a rural village, within the Shortstown ward of Bedford in the East of England region, and forms part of the Wilstead & Shortstown area. It has average deprivation and high crime levels, with around 80.4 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, in line with the East of England average of 82 per 1,000. The average income per household in Wilstead & Shortstown is £65,428 per year. The nearest station is Bedford St Johns, about 3.2 miles away. There are 1 primary and no secondary schools in the area.

Crime rate
8/10
Crimes per 1k residents
80
Deprivation level
6/10
Income level
7/10
Social housing
17.2%
Connectivity
N/A
Flood Risk
No risk
Noise Level
Very High

Deprivation level

6/10

Wilstead & Shortstown has an average level of deprivation, ranked at position 16,138 out of 32,844 areas in the United Kingdom, placing it within the top 49% most deprived areas in England.

Crime level

8/10

Wilstead & Shortstown has a high crime rate, with approximately 80.4 reported incidents per 1,000 population each year.

Social housing

17.2%

Approximately 17.2% of homes on this street are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. Across the surrounding area, around 15.2% of dwellings are socially rented.

Income level

7/10

The average income per household in Wilstead & Shortstown is £65,428 per year.

Noise Level

Very High

Very High noise level (>=75.0 dB) from road, approximately 91 ft away from MK45 3AX.

Flood risk

No risk

Wilstead & Shortstown near MK45 3AX has no flood risk (less than 0.1% chance of a flood each year) from rivers and sea.

Transport

The nearest station is Bedford St Johns located about 3.2 miles away. There are no other stations nearby.

Parks

No parks nearby

Area Profile

Population
284
Population density
222.3 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
40.66(+29%)
Anti-social behaviour
24.22(+109%)
Other theft
8.65(+58%)
Public order
8.65(+69%)
Burglary
7.79(+180%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
219
78.21%
White and Asian (mixed)
15
5.36%
White and Black Caribbean (mixed)
9
3.21%
Other
8
2.86%
Indian
7
2.5%
Total population: 280

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
67
31.46%
No qualifications
41
19.25%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
35
16.43%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
28
13.15%
Level 3 (A level)
26
12.21%
Total 16+ residents: 213

Housing

Housing tenure

Owns with a mortgage
42
36.21%
Owns outright
37
31.9%
Other social rented
20
17.24%
Private landlord or letting agency
16
13.79%
Other forms of private rent
1
0.86%
Total households: 116

Property prices in Shortstown

Median price£325,000
Price per sq ft£351
Sales (last 12 months)83
Typical range (middle 50%)£240K – £381K

Based on 83 recent sales, the median property price is £325,000 (about £351 per square foot) in Shortstown area, with individual transactions ranging from £140,000 up to £925,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Shortstown over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached21£445,000£339
Semi-Detached26£341,500£355
Terraced22£278,500£373
Flats14£193,750£319

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Shortstown

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Shortstown.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£309,995£184,995£277,495£225,000
2017£324,998£147,995£288,995£224,995
2018£375,000£171,000£296,498£245,000
2019£343,995£166,000£286,248£238,500
2020£417,498£165,000£286,250£224,000
2021£395,000£171,000£305,000£260,000
2022£413,125£190,000£327,500£272,500
2023£450,000£200,000£325,000£252,500
2024£445,000£171,000£340,000£276,250
2025£425,000£197,500£345,000£300,000
2026£472,500£190,000£382,000£237,000
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Shortstown.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Shortstown.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£285£253£276£243
2017£284£299£299£280
2018£273£246£306£294
2019£296£250£301£277
2020£282£248£316£302
2021£305£272£326£311
2022£322£279£364£353
2023£347£303£371£310
2024£355£270£367£342
2025£364£279£362£364
2026£346£324£323£385
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Shortstown.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

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

Recent sales

There were 19 recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK45 3AX.

Recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK45 3AX
DateAddressTypeTenurePriceMap
18 Mar 202699, High Road, Bedford, MK45 3AXTerracedFreehold£225,000
27 Feb 2026Flat A, 115, High Road, Bedford, MK45 3AXFlatsLeasehold£187,000
04 Nov 202583, High Road, Bedford, MK45 3AXSemi-DetachedFreehold£355,000
10 Sept 2025Flat D, 115, High Road, Bedford, MK45 3AXFlatsLeasehold£204,000
30 Jan 202639, Trow Close, Bedford, MK45 3BFDetachedFreehold£542,500

Schools

In the MK45 3AX postcode area, located within Wilstead & Shortstown, there are 1 primary and 0 secondary schools in close proximity.

Nearby primary and secondary schools for MK45 3AX
DistancePhaseNameTypeRating
0.1 miPrimaryCotton End Forest SchoolCommunity school

Requires improvement

Local amenities

No Supermarkets & Convenience Stores nearby

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 MK45 3AX, including ward councillors and the local member of parliament.

Local councillors

Leigh James Coombs

Shortstown - Elected 4 May 2023

Liberal Democrats

Sarah Gallagher

Shortstown - Elected 4 May 2023

Conservative

Member of parliament

Richard Fuller

North Bedfordshire - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Conservative

Geographic Information

DistrictBedfordE06000055
Parliamentary ConstituencyNorth BedfordshireE14001384
WardShortstownE05014515
ParishCotton EndE04012995
MSOA (Middle Layer Super Output Area)Wilstead & ShortstownE02007010
LSOA (Lower Layer Super Output Area)Bedford 021DE01034429
Police ForceBedfordshire
Postcode Introduced1980-01-01

Frequently asked questions about MK45 3AX

Is MK45 3AX (Wilstead & Shortstown) safe?

The area around MK45 3AX records about 80 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a high crime rate for England: it scores 8 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 shoplifting.

What is the average house price near MK45 3AX?

The median sale price around MK45 3AX in Wilstead & Shortstown is £325,000 (about £351 per square foot) based on 83 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

What schools are near MK45 3AX?

There is 1 school close to MK45 3AX, including Cotton End Forest School (Requires improvement). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

How deprived is the area around MK45 3AX?

MK45 3AX scores 6 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. Its neighbourhood ranks 16,138 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

Who represents MK45 3AX (Wilstead & Shortstown) in Parliament and on the local council?

The Member of Parliament for North Bedfordshire covering MK45 3AX is Richard Fuller (Conservative and Unionist Party), elected at the 2024 general election. The area is represented by 2 local councillors: Leigh James Coombs (Liberal Democrats) and Sarah Gallagher (Conservative and Unionist 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.