West Mersea
West Mersea is a town in Essex, England, with a population of around 7,057. It has 1 restaurant or café and 15 bus stops. There were around 27 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly violence & sexual offences. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the West Mersea area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Colchester area is around the average in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 192,716 residents at roughly 587 people per km².
- Council
- Colchester
- County
- Essex
- Constituency
- Harwich and North Essex
- Police force
- Essex
My Area Score
Mixed
Ranked 150th of 294 English council areas — better than 49% 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
11°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 12° / 9° · 57% rain
- Tomorrow: 12° / 9° · Partly Cloudy
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:54Sunset 16:25
9h 31m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
18US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: ozone
Source: WAQI · Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 7.1 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 5.3% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
23 reported · August 2026▼ 38% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences9
- Anti-social behaviour4
- Criminal damage & arson3
- Other theft2
Neighbourhood team: Colchester Rural South · Essex
Local policing priorities
- Concerns about antisocial behaviour and visible harm across the Colchester district, with particular focus on key hotspot locations inclu…
- Concerns about vehicle related crime in identified hotspot locations across the district, including residential areas.
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
321 reported road collisions (2025)
90 killed or seriously injured · 403 casualties · 16.7 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
49 food businesses within 2 miles
- 47 rated 4–5 ★ (43 top)
- 0 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- 15 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Wivenhoe (8.9 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£294,210 average▼ 1.4% YoY
Across Colchester · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,197 average monthly rent▲ 2.1% YoY
- 1 bed £820
- 2 bed £1,063
- 3 bed £1,301
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
8.4× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 8.4 times median annual pay (9.0× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
2,652 property sales in the last 12 months
12 months to May 2026
A busier or quieter market is not by itself good or bad. Monthly counts are small and volatile, so only the annual total is shown.
Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI, 12 months to 2026-05
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 169.9p · Asda (11.2 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 195.9p · Asda (11.2 km)
1 station within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
4 charging locations within ~8 km
- Fastest nearby: 22 kW
- Nearest: The White Hart Inn (0.7 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres1
- Swimming pools40
- Sports pitches13
- Playgrounds5
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
192,716 residents in Colchester · 587/km²
- Under 16: 19%
- 16–64: 63%
- 65+: 18%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK13,676
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK14,062
- Net moves−386
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
Around the average in England
Ranked 168 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
2% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,283 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band B (27% of 86,510)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
89 schools · 31,964 pupils
63 primary · 12 secondary · 14 other
Ofsted: 28 of 32 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (88%)
80 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Colchester County High School for GirlsOutstanding
- Colchester AcademyGood
- Paxman AcademyGood
- Philip Morant School and CollegeGood
- St Helena SchoolGood
- Colchester Royal Grammar SchoolInadequate
- St Benedict's Catholic College
- The Gilberd School
- The Stanway School
- The Thomas Lord Audley School
- The Trinity School
- Thurstable School
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Colchester
Care & health services
1,574 CQC-registered services
- Care homes408
- GP practices229
- Dentists312
- Homecare agencies474
- Hospitals & hospices40
CQC ratings: 88% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 17 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Essex
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 37 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
234 applications decided
84.2% granted · 197 granted, 37 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Sir Bernard Jenkin
Conservative
Harwich and North Essex
Recent votes:
- NoDraft Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026
- NoNorthern Ireland Troubles Bill: Third Reading
- AyeNorthern Ireland Troubles Bill Committee: New Clause 12
- AyeNorthern Ireland Troubles Bill Committee: New Clause 7
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition
- Lab 9
- Con 18
- LD 12
- Grn 3
- Ref 5
- Oth 4
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools1
- GPs & clinics1
- Supermarkets2
- Parks & greens4
- Restaurants & cafés11
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
8,710 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
7 jobs advertised · £27,533 avg
e.g. Female Personal Care Assistant, AVON Representatives wanted in West Mersea, Essex, England – start today, Personal Care Assistant
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£767 median full-time weekly pay
3.2% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£24,738 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
53% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: C · 96,867 certificates
9.1% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
73% low-carbon electricity
Wind 46% · Gas 26% · Nuclear 18% · Biomass 10%
113 gCO₂/kWh · moderate intensity
Latest estimate for East England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 83.8 yrs women · 80.4 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy (Essex): 62.4 women · 62.7 men
64% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.8
- Feeling worthwhile7.7
- Happiness yesterday7.6
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.2
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
4 GP surgeries · 6 pharmacies in CO5
- Kelvedon & Feering Health Centre
- West Mersea Surgery
- Tiptree Medical Centre
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Harwich and North Essex:
- Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks283 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth201 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND183 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Launch a public inquiry into illegal migration in the UK149 local signatures · 78,478 nationwide
- Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills148 local signatures · 111,154 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
West Mersea · 0.2 kmWest Mersea is a town and civil parish on Mersea Island in the City of Colchester district of Essex, England. It is one of two parishes on the island, the other being East Mersea. At the 2021 census the parish of West…
- West Mersea Priory · 0.5 km
West Mersea Priory was a Benedictine priory in West Mersea, Essex, England. It was founded in 1046 and granted by Edward the Confessor to the Abbey of Saint-Ouen in Rouen. As an alien priory it was taken by Henry V w…
West Mersea Yacht Club · 1.4 kmWest Mersea Yacht Club (WMYC) is a British yacht club that has its clubhouse in Coast Road, West Mersea, Mersea Island, Essex. It is on the estuary of the River Blackwater, approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) south of Col…
West Mersea Lifeboat Station · 1.4 kmWest Mersea Lifeboat Station is located on the Coast Road in West Mersea, at the western end of Mersea Island, situated between the Blackwater and Colne river estuaries, 10 miles (16 km) south of Colchester, in the co…
- Barrow Hill, Essex · 1.6 km
Barrow Hill is a hamlet in Essex, England. It is located on Mersea Island, approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) north-northeast of West Mersea near to where the Strood causeway meets the island. The hamlet is 33 km (21 mi) eas…
- Mersea Island · 2.4 km
Mersea Island is a tidal island in Essex, England, in the Blackwater and Colne estuaries to the south of Colchester. Its name comes from the Old English word meresig, meaning "island of the pool" and thus is tautologi…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Colchester with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is West Mersea?
- West Mersea is a town in Essex, England, in the Colchester local authority.
- What is the population of West Mersea?
- West Mersea has an approximate settlement population of 7,057.
- How deprived is West Mersea?
- The Colchester local authority, which includes West Mersea, is around the average in England on the IoD2025.