Puriton
Puriton is a village in Somerset, England, with a population of around 1,968. It has around 2 restaurants and cafés, 1 bus stop, and the nearest railway station is Bridgwater, 4.7 km away. There were around 14 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 Puriton area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Somerset area is around the average in England (IoD2025).
My Area Score
Mixed
Ranked 202nd of 294 English council areas — better than 31% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. Scored on 90% of the full weighting — some data isn't available here. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
12°CPartly Cloudy
- Today: 12° / 7° · 19% rain
- Tomorrow: 11° / 7° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:04Sunset 16:46
9h 42m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
17US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: coarse particles (PM10)
Source: WAQI · Cardiff Newport Road, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 5.5 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 4.2% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
9 reported · August 2026▼ 36% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences5
- Criminal damage & arson3
- Anti-social behaviour1
Neighbourhood team: Sedgemoor South East · Avon And Somerset
Local policing priorities
- The Local Neighbourhood Team aim to focus on rural and wildlife crime. We work closely with communities and our Specialist Rural Crime Te…
- The local neighbourhood team aim to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour specifically within housing estate areas
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
856 reported road collisions (2025)
248 killed or seriously injured · 1,148 casualties · 15 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
45 food businesses within 2 miles
- 36 rated 4–5 ★ (35 top)
- 0 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Bridgwater (4.7 km)
- 1 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Bridgwater (4.7 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£282,498 average▲ 2.8% YoY
Across Somerset · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,016 average monthly rent▲ 6.2% YoY
- 1 bed £692
- 2 bed £913
- 3 bed £1,135
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
8.0× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 8.0 times median annual pay (7.9× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
8,075 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: 139.8p · AppleGreen (9.3 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 146.8p · AppleGreen (9.3 km)
7 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
13 charging locations within ~8 km
- 6 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 150 kW
- Nearest: McDonald's Bridgwater (1.3 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports pitches1
- Playgrounds2
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local news
- Bridgwater’s historic clock to be reinstated· 30 Oct 2026
- Private Fostering Awareness Day highlights support available to families in Somerset· 30 Oct 2026
- Plans to help more Somerset children in care stay closer to home· 29 Oct 2026
- Chancellor confirms support for devolution in Wessex· 28 Oct 2026
- “I’m so glad I went”: residents praise Somerset’s free NHS Health Checks· 28 Oct 2026
Source: Somerset Council
Population
571,548 residents in Somerset
- Under 16: 17%
- 16–64: 58%
- 65+: 25%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK25,114
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK20,841
- Net moves+4,273
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
Around the average in England
Ranked 134 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
£2,561 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band B (27% of 272,060)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
306 schools · 76,894 pupils
218 primary · 28 secondary · 60 other
Ofsted: 100 of 137 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (73%)
264 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- The Castle SchoolOutstanding
- Buckler's Mead SchoolGood
- Court Fields SchoolGood
- Haygrove SchoolGood
- Holyrood AcademyGood
- Preston School AcademyGood
- Sexey's SchoolGood
- St Dunstan's SchoolGood
- The King Alfred SchoolGood
- WhitstoneGood
- Ansford AcademyRequires improvement
- West Somerset CollegeRequires improvement
- Huish Episcopi AcademyInadequate
- Monkton Wood AcademyInadequate
- Bishop Fox's School
- Brymore Academy
- Chilton Trinity School
- Crispin School Academy
- Frome Community College
- King Arthur's School
- Kingsmead Academy
- Pyrland School
- Robert Blake Academy
- Stanchester Academy
- The Blue School
- The Kings of Wessex Academy
- Wadham School
- Westfield Academy
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Somerset
Care & health services
555 CQC-registered services
- Care homes197
- GP practices73
- Dentists106
- Homecare agencies126
- Hospitals & hospices25
CQC ratings: 94% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 2 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Somerset
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 4 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
762 applications decided
89% granted · 678 granted, 84 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Sir Ashley Fox
Conservative
Bridgwater
Recent votes:
- NoDraft Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026
- NoWithdrawal Agreement (Windsor Framework and Governance) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
- NoDraft Code of Practice on Access and Unfair Practices During the Recognition and Derecognition Process
- NoDraft Railways (Interoperability in Northern Ireland) (Convention on International Carriage by Rail) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Liberal Democrat majority
- Lab 5
- Con 31
- LD 61
- Grn 5
- Ref 2
- Oth 6
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools1
- Parks & greens2
- Restaurants & cafés8
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
28,585 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
4 jobs advertised · £55,575 avg
e.g. Electrical Improver, Pipefitter, Plumber
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£711 median full-time weekly pay
2.6% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£25,473 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
58% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: C · 50,033 certificates
10.5% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
23% low-carbon electricity
Gas 78% · Solar 22% · Wind 1%
305 gCO₂/kWh · very high intensity
Latest estimate for South West England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 84.4 yrs women · 80.6 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 63 women · 62.8 men
68% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Health services
1 GP surgery · 1 pharmacy in TA7
- Polden Medical Practice
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Bridgwater:
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases333 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND187 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth171 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
- Launch a public inquiry into illegal migration in the UK135 local signatures · 78,478 nationwide
- Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks130 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Puriton · 0.3 kmPuriton is a village and parish at the westerly end of the Polden Hills, in Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 1,968. The local parish church is dedicated to St Michael and All Angels. A chapel on Woola…
Dunball · 1.3 kmDunball is a small hamlet west of the village of Puriton and close to the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England.
- Down End Castle · 1.4 km
Down End Castle, also known as Downend Castle, Chisley Mount or Chidley Mount, was a motte-and-bailey castle at Down End, north of Dunball in the parish of Puriton, Somerset, England. It has been designated as a Sched…
King's Sedgemoor Drain · 1.4 kmKing's Sedgemoor Drain is an artificial drainage channel which diverts the River Cary in Somerset, England, along the southern flank of the Polden Hills, to discharge into the River Parrett at Dunball near Bridgwater.…
River Cary · 1.4 kmThe River Cary is a river in Somerset, England. It is sourced from the Park Pond in Castle Cary and flows towards the southwest.
ROF Bridgwater · 1.5 kmRoyal Ordnance Factory (ROF) Bridgwater was a factory between the villages of Puriton and Woolavington in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England, that produced high explosives for munitions. It was slightly above…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Puriton?
- Puriton is a town in Somerset, England, in the Somerset local authority.
- What is the population of Puriton?
- Puriton has an approximate settlement population of 1,968.
- How deprived is Puriton?
- The Somerset local authority, which includes Puriton, is around the average in England on the IoD2025.