Earls Colne
Earls Colne is a town in Essex, England, with a population of around 3,862. It has 1 pharmacy, 1 supermarket, and around 1 restaurant and café, with 12 bus stops and the nearest railway station at Chappel and Wakes Colne, 4 km away. There were around 7 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly violence and sexual offences. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Earls Colne area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Braintree area is less deprived than the average in England (IoD2019). The wider council area has around 155,270 residents at roughly 254 people per km².
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 80th of 294 English council areas — better than 73% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
22°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 23° / 16° · 59% rain
- Tomorrow: 25° / 15° · Sunny
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:27Sunset 19:19
12h 52m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
14US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: ozone
Source: WAQI · Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom
Crime
20 reported · July 2026▼ 9% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences14
- Anti-social behaviour3
- Other theft2
- Public order1
Neighbourhood team: Braintree Central · Essex
Local policing priorities
- Concerns from residents about vehicle nuisance in hotspot locations including Braintree town centre, Braintree Retail and Leisure Park, C…
- Concerns about antisocial behaviour and shoplifting in key hotspot locations including Braintree town centre and Braintree Village shoppi…
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
235 reported road collisions (2024)
67 killed or seriously injured · 294 casualties · 15.1 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
36 food businesses within 2 miles
- 30 rated 4–5 ★ (26 top)
- 0 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
1 active warning/alert
- Flood alert: The Essex coast from Clacton to and including, St Peters Flat and the Colne and Blackwater estuaries
Source: Environment Agency
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Chappel and Wakes Colne (4.0 km)
- 12 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Chappel & Wakes Colne (4.1 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£330,637 average▲ 2% YoY
Across Braintree · to 2026-06
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,217 average monthly rent▲ 2.8% YoY
- 1 bed £853
- 2 bed £1,103
- 3 bed £1,359
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-07
Affordability
9.2× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 9.2 times median annual pay (10.0× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 169.9p · Shell (9.1 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 195.9p · Esso (10.7 km)
4 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
3 charging locations within ~8 km
- Fastest nearby: 22 kW
- Nearest: EVC The Essex (2.3 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres1
- Swimming pools5
- Sports pitches3
- Golf courses2
- Playgrounds5
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local news
- Braintree District Council supports Recycle Week 2026 and calls residents to rescue their recyclables· 11 Sept 2026
- Braintree District Council Leader Cllr Tom Cunningham’s open letter to Essex County Council Leader Cllr Peter Harris on Operation Vanguard and Wethersfield Asylum Accommodation Centre· 11 Sept 2026
- Braintree Town Hall to host inspiring wedding fayre this September· 11 Sept 2026
- New community centre completed in Witham· 8 Sept 2026
- Man prosecuted for operating as a scrap metal dealer without a licence· 4 Sept 2026
Source: Braintree Council
Population
155,270 residents in Braintree · 254/km²
- Under 16: 18%
- 16–64: 61%
- 65+: 20%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Deprivation
Less deprived than the average in England
Ranked 203 of 317 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2019
Council tax
£2,280 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (29% of 71,120)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
68 schools · 21,326 pupils
52 primary · 8 secondary · 8 other
Ofsted: 30 of 33 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (91%)
63inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Honywood SchoolGood
- Lift MaltingsRequires improvement
- Notley High School and Braintree Sixth FormRequires improvement
- Tabor AcademyRequires improvement
- Alec Hunter Academy
- Hedingham School and Sixth Form
- Lift New Rickstones
- The Ramsey Academy, Halstead
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Braintree
Care & health services
1,571 CQC-registered services
- Care homes407
- GP practices230
- Dentists309
- Homecare agencies475
- Hospitals & hospices39
CQC ratings: 87% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 17 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Essex
Heritage & planning
- In a conservation area (Earls Colne and White Colne West and East)
- Not in the Green Belt
- 108 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
215 applications decided
85.6% granted · 184 granted, 31 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q1
Your MP
Priti Patel
Conservative
Witham
Recent votes:
- NoTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading
- NoClosure motion
- AyeSocial Housing Bill [Lords]: Reasoned Amendment to Second Reading
- NoDraft Plant Health, Seeds, Seed Potatoes and Plant Propagating Material (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Conservative majority
- Lab 9
- Con 25
- Grn 4
- Ref 1
- Oth 10
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools1
- Pharmacies1
- Supermarkets1
- Restaurants & cafés1
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
7,490 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2025)
Jobs
30 jobs advertised · £35,222 avg
e.g. HGV 1 Drivers, HGV Class 1 Night Driver, Housekeeper
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£826 median full-time weekly pay
2.7% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£26,019 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
48% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 68,719 certificates
10.1% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
60% low-carbon electricity
Gas 37% · Nuclear 26% · Solar 18% · Wind 10%
153 gCO₂/kWh · moderate intensity
Latest estimate for East England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 83.9 yrs women · 80.5 yrs men
75% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.3
- Feeling worthwhile7.7
- Happiness yesterday7.6
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.1
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Witham:
- Review the evidence and fund the addition of SMA to the Newborn Screening Test471 local signatures · 151,287 nationwide
- Pause housebuilding targets imposed on councils, review and identify local need458 local signatures · 16,962 nationwide
- Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office432 local signatures · 205,058 nationwide
- Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership424 local signatures · 242,705 nationwide
- Do not ban social media for under 16s335 local signatures · 217,501 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-08-06
Notable places nearby
- Earls Colne Grammar School · 0.1 km
Earls Colne Grammar School was a grammar school in Earls Colne, Essex, England that was founded in 1520 and closed in 1975.
Earls Colne · 0.2 kmEarls Colne is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. It is named after the River Colne, on which it stands, and the Earls of Oxford who held the manor of Earls Colne from before 1086 to 1703. At the 2021 censu…
Brickfield and Long Meadow · 0.4 kmBrickfield and Long Meadow is a 3.9 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Earls Colne in Essex, England.
Colne Priory · 0.7 kmColne Priory at Earls Colne, Essex was a Benedictine priory, initially a dependent cell of Abingdon Abbey, Berkshire. It was founded by Aubrey de Vere I and his wife Beatrice in or before 1111. One piece of research s…
Colne Valley, Essex · 0.9 kmColne Valley is a 5.1 hectare Local Nature Reserve north and east of Earls Colne in Essex. It is owned and managed by Colchester Borough Council.
Earls Colne railway station · 1.2 kmEarls Colne railway station was located in Earls Colne, Essex. It was 53 miles 77 chains (86.84 km) from London Liverpool Street via Marks Tey.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Braintree with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Earls Colne?
- Earls Colne is a town in Essex, England, in the Braintree local authority.
- What is the population of Earls Colne?
- Earls Colne has an approximate settlement population of 3,862.
- How deprived is Earls Colne?
- The Braintree local authority, which includes Earls Colne, is less deprived than the average in England on the IoD2019.