Crime by Postcode
TA23Postcode district

TA23 crime rate and crime map

Recorded crime in TA23 is 0.8 times the Somerset average and 0.7 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 84%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences. Police data to August 2026.

Watchet, Somerset. 5,899 residents in 5 neighbourhoods.

Safety
7/10Low crime
Living
3.9/10Weak
5-year change
+84%more crimes
vs the council
0.8×the Somerset average
Open on the map

Safety and Living

Safety

Crime severity: 0.8× the Somerset average (0.7× the England and Wales average)

Crime only, by how serious it is. Compared with every postcode district. Higher is safer.

Living

Based on schools, transport, health, supermarkets, weighted by importance. Crime is not part of it. Higher is better.

Neighbourhoods by Safety

Somerset West and Taunton 003B: Safety 8 out of 10, low crimeSomerset West and Taunton 004B: Safety 9 out of 10, very low crimeSomerset West and Taunton 003C: Safety 6 out of 10, average crimeSomerset West and Taunton 003D: Safety 6 out of 10, average crimeSomerset West and Taunton 003E: Safety 6 out of 10, average crime
1 = least safe, 10 = safest. Grey: no score. Select a neighbourhood to open it on the map.

Crime over 5 years

Up 84% in 5 years Recorded crimes in TA23, anti-social behaviour left out.

Sep 2021 – Aug 2022: 254 crimesSep 2021 – Aug 2022254Sep 2022 – Aug 2023: 222 crimesSep 2022 – Aug 2023222Sep 2023 – Aug 2024: 287 crimesSep 2023 – Aug 2024287Sep 2024 – Aug 2025: 321 crimesSep 2024 – Aug 2025321Sep 2025 – Aug 2026: 467 crimesSep 2025 – Aug 2026467

What is recorded

Crime severity: 0.8× the Somerset average (0.7× the England and Wales average). 50 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.

  • Violence and sexual offences: 75% of the harm here
  • Burglary: 13% of the harm here
  • Other theft: 4% of the harm here

"Violence and sexual offences" is 75% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.

Anti-social behaviour: 9.1 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.

Shops, transport, schools and health

Distances are straight-line, not walking routes. Scores use fixed distance bands, so they do not depend on other districts. Higher is better.

Supermarkets

Poor accessScore 2 out of 10
  • Typical distance to a large supermarket: 14.9 km.
  • Tesco Minehead Superstore (Tesco), 14.3 km from the district centre
  • Morrisons Minehead (Morrisons), 14.5 km from the district centre
  • Asda Barry Superstore (Asda), 26.2 km from the district centre

Transport

Fair accessScore 5 out of 10
  • Typical number of bus stops within 400 m: 2.
  • Nearest railway station: Bishop's Lydeard Rail Station, 20.6 km from the district centre
  • Nearest tram or metro stop: Watchet (West Somerset Railway), 1.6 km from the district centre

Schools

Weak schools nearbyScore 4 out of 10

Primary schools within 2 km

  • St Peter's Church of England First School: Good (graded inspection, 2024), 610 m away
  • Old Cleeve Church of England First School: Good (graded inspection, 2023), 1.0 km away
  • No rated secondary school within 2 km, so that half of the score counts as 1.

Health

Limited accessScore 4 out of 10
  • Nearest GP surgery: WEST SOMERSET HEALTHCARE, 2.5 km from the district centre, CQC rating: Good, rated 2017
  • Nearest hospital with A&E: Musgrove Park Hospital, 30.0 km from the district centre

Crime by type

Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.

TypePer 1,000 a year
Robbery0.1
Burglary2.8
Violence and sexual offences25.4
Drugs0.6
Possession of weapons0.3
Other crime0.9
Other theft3.7
Theft from the person0.1
Vehicle crime1.5
Criminal damage and arson7.2
Public order6.0
Bicycle theft0.2
Shoplifting1.5

Trend over the years

Crime severity per resident (sentence-days of the crimes recorded each year). Hatched bars are years with fewer than twelve months of data for most residents.

20168.320178.320189.8201910.120208.520217.920228.320237.7202412.7202513.3202616.5

Last 12 months: 16.0 against a 10-year average of 10.0, 60% higher.

Questions about crime in TA23

Is TA23 a safe place to live?
TA23 scores 7 out of 10 for safety (low crime), compared with every postcode district in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 0.8 times the Somerset average.
Is crime going up or down in TA23?
Up 84% over 5 years, from 254 recorded crimes a year to 467.
What is the most common crime in TA23?
The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences, about 25 per 1,000 residents a year.
How does crime in TA23 compare with Somerset?
Crime severity in TA23 is 0.8 times the Somerset average.

Towns

Council: Somerset