Crime and Safety in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge is the third most dangerous small town in Somerset, and is the 21st most dangerous overall out of Somerset's 414 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge in 2026 is 85 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Somerset's overall crime rate, coming in 22% higher than the Somerset rate of 70 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge is the 78th most dangerous small town, and the 619th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In March 2024, Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge had the worst crime rate in Somerset for theft from the person, with 2 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.10 per 1,000 daytime population. August 2024 was also a bad month for Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge residents, when it was Somerset's most dangerous area for robbery, recording 11 crimes at a rate of 0.53 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crimes in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge are violence and sexual offences, with 945 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 45. This is 0.64% higher than 2025's figure of 939 offences and a difference of 0.24 from 2025's crime rate of 45. Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge's least common crime is theft from the person, with 3 offences recorded in 2026, a decrease of 40% from 2025's figure of 5 crimes.
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge 2026 Crime Scorecard
Third Most Dangerous
Small Towns, Somerset
39% higher, regional crime rate
South West
18% higher, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge is 39% higher than the South West and 18% higher than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Crime Rate Over Time
| Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge | |
| South West | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge represent the time frame between January 2016 and April 2026. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.
Use Crime Map
Hover over a point to see a breakdown of crime types recorded at that location. You can also filter by individual crime types, or use a combinations of offences to visualise the data you need.
See How Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Compares
You can compare Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge's crime statistics against any other town, village, or city from across the country. Search for a location's name below to see how they stack up.
Introduction to Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge's 553 postcodes using three area sizes for comparison:
- Within a Five-Minute Walk
- Within a Ten-Minute Walk
- Within a Fifteen-Minute Walk
Individual crime risk scores and index figures are for the 12-month period ending April 2026 unless otherwise stated.
CrimeRate Insights
Looking into a specific address in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge? CrimeRate Insights reports convert raw numbers into practical insight for any location, from single addresses and postcodes, up to major towns and cities.
Crime rates don’t happen by themselves; they follow people and patterns. Where crowds gather - near pubs and late-night venues, around the station, by supermarkets and forecourts - incidents naturally concentrate.
That doesn’t mean an area is "bad"; it usually means footfall is higher.
Your report explores these factors in a calm, non-judgemental way, putting the numbers in context and helping you spot what’s typical for places like this.
Crime Risk Scores
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge has a crime risk score of 432. This is based on analysis of 553 nearby areas within Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge, with "most" referring to roughly two thirds of the nearby locations.
Crime risk scores are on a scale of 1 to 1,000 and consider the severity of the crimes involved, as determined by sentencing guidelines. A score of 1 represents the lowest risk, and 1,000 the highest risk. This approach ensures that - unlike overall crime rate figures - bicycle theft is not given the same importance in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge, crime risk scores are typically around 432, while in Somerset they are average 549.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 477 (538 for Somerset), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 511 (Somerset 540).
Trends in Crime Risk
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge
Calculated via Seasonal and Trend decomposition using Loess, the Seasonality Adjusted line represents the original data with seasonality subtracted, and the Trend line has been plotted unadjusted. Overall trend direction has been identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test, and rate calculated from the slope of the best-fit line identified from linear regression.
The 10-year trend indicates an increase of 18% in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge's crime risk score. This is potentially a strong signal of how the crime risk is evolving. Cross-referencing with major cultural events and Covid's impact during this time is advised.
Looking at the previous five years, the trend in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge's crime risk score is up by 22%. While potentially a good indicator of the overall risk trend, analysis may offer further insight when combined with the checks mentioned above.
Over the last year, Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge's crime risk score has shown an upward trend of approximately 3.7%, indicating that the risk profile is going up. This is an extremely short time period for crime trend analysis, and caution should be exercised when interpreting this figure.
Crime Rates and Indexes
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge
The CrimeRate Index shows how crime rates compare against the national average.
1.0 equals the average
2.0 is double
3.0 triple
0.5 is half and
0.25 a quarter.
Highest Crime Rates
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Excluding other crime and other theft because their geographic location is often not relevant, anti-social behaviour as its definition is too wide, and bicycle theft for its specificity.
Public Order offences have a crime rate of 8.70 reports per 1,000 people in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge, which is 1.50 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 183 crime reports logged by Avon and Somerset Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Avon and Somerset Police recorded 945 reports of Violence and Sexual Offences in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge, resulting in a crime rate of 45 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 1.48.
The crime rate for Robbery is 1.22 times the national average at 1.20 reports per 1,000. This is from 25 crime reports reported to Avon and Somerset Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge
Excluding other crime and other theft, anti-social behaviour, and bicycle theft, and calculated with the same STL method described in Trends in Crime Risk, using CrimeRate Index figures to identify crime types that are trending above or below the national average, and the analysis timeframe limited to the last three years.
Vehicle Crime offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.54 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Vehicle Crime CrimeRate Index was 0.89 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 39% over this timeframe.
Violence and Sexual Offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.57 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Violence and Sexual Offences CrimeRate Index was 1.42 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 11% over this timeframe.
Public Order offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 1.38 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 1.36 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 1.5% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Shoplifting offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.65 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Shoplifting CrimeRate Index was 2.42 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 73% over this timeframe.
Possession of Weapons offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.71 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Possession of Weapons CrimeRate Index was 1.43 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a decrease of 50% over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge | Somerset | South West | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 389 | 18.49 | 1.31 | 13,061 | 11.88 | 0.84 | 82,030 | 12.62 | 0.89 |
| Bicycle Theft | 10 | 0.48 | 1.33 | 507 | 0.45 | 0.62 | 3,702 | 0.54 | 0.74 |
| Burglary | 51 | 2.43 | 0.78 | 3,066 | 2.80 | 0.89 | 15,750 | 2.42 | 0.77 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 146 | 6.95 | 1.11 | 6,120 | 5.57 | 0.89 | 36,459 | 5.64 | 0.90 |
| Drugs | 36 | 1.72 | 0.61 | 1,320 | 1.20 | 0.39 | 10,358 | 1.60 | 0.52 |
| Other Crime | 65 | 3.07 | 1.66 | 1,778 | 1.61 | 0.87 | 8,931 | 1.38 | 0.75 |
| Other Theft | 135 | 6.42 | 1.13 | 5,795 | 5.26 | 0.92 | 31,450 | 4.85 | 0.85 |
| Possession of Weapons | 7 | 0.35 | 0.97 | 554 | 0.49 | 0.58 | 3,967 | 0.62 | 0.73 |
| Public Order | 183 | 8.70 | 1.50 | 8,878 | 8.07 | 1.39 | 36,669 | 5.63 | 0.97 |
| Robbery | 25 | 1.20 | 1.22 | 1,013 | 0.93 | 0.79 | 4,567 | 0.70 | 0.59 |
| Shoplifting | 134 | 6.39 | 0.90 | 7,536 | 6.84 | 0.96 | 37,365 | 5.76 | 0.81 |
| Theft From the Person | 3 | 0.15 | 0.63 | 172 | 0.15 | 0.10 | 2,043 | 0.33 | 0.21 |
| Vehicle Crime | 45 | 2.14 | 0.50 | 2,421 | 2.20 | 0.51 | 16,666 | 2.56 | 0.60 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 945 | 44.90 | 1.48 | 37,511 | 34.14 | 1.12 | 189,257 | 29.13 | 0.96 |
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Total Crime by Year
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge | Somerset | South West | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 1,785 | 84.90 | 1.22 | 76,671 | 69.71 | 0.97 | 397,184 | 61.16 | 0.85 |
| 2025 | 2,031 | 97.11 | 1.36 | 76,389 | 70.08 | 0.95 | 402,192 | 62.40 | 0.84 |
| 2024 | 1,867 | 89.84 | 1.24 | 68,439 | 63.47 | 0.84 | 357,420 | 55.92 | 0.74 |
| 2023 | 1,764 | 85.56 | 1.11 | 62,184 | 58.26 | 0.74 | 360,086 | 56.89 | 0.72 |
| 2022 | 1,618 | 78.94 | 1.08 | 62,895 | 59.59 | 0.78 | 351,958 | 56.19 | 0.73 |
| 2021 | 1,486 | 72.80 | 1.08 | 54,270 | 51.92 | 0.76 | 311,592 | 50.21 | 0.73 |
| 2020 | 1,463 | 71.30 | 1.00 | 60,150 | 57.87 | 0.78 | 343,342 | 55.68 | 0.75 |
| 2019 | 1,452 | 70.46 | 0.97 | 59,138 | 57.33 | 0.75 | 348,574 | 56.87 | 0.75 |
| 2018 | 1,420 | 68.61 | 1.01 | 56,483 | 55.14 | 0.78 | 340,408 | 55.87 | 0.79 |
| 2017 | 1,360 | 65.78 | 1.08 | 54,943 | 53.97 | 0.84 | 312,784 | 51.72 | 0.81 |
| 2016 | 306 | 14.83 | 0.83 | 16,140 | 15.87 | 0.83 | 92,229 | 15.29 | 0.80 |
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Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Compared to Nearby Small Towns
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glastonbury | 1,159 | 119.22 | 40% more dangerous |
| Chard Town | 1,582 | 105.42 | 24% more dangerous |
| Minehead | 1,140 | 89.98 | 6% more dangerous |
| Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge | 1,785 | 84.90 | - |
| North Petherton | 886 | 75.37 | 11% safer |
| Wells | 906 | 74.28 | 13% safer |
| Shepton Mallet | 843 | 72.89 | 14% safer |
| Wellington | 1,184 | 65.57 | 23% safer |
| Keynsham | 1,573 | 68.05 | 20% safer |
| Midsomer Norton | 701 | 55.01 | 35% safer |
| Street | 733 | 49.05 | 42% safer |
| Yatton | 388 | 44.21 | 48% safer |
| Clevedon | 995 | 42.87 | 50% safer |
Comparing Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 6% safer |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 2.6% safer |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 0.95% safer |
| Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge | 84.90 | - |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 15% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 23% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 24% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 25% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 26% more dangerous |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 27% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 47% more dangerous |
CrimeRate Pro
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You can find out more, or get a CrimeRate Insights report that includes further analysis.
Offences In and Around Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge that are named and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries in the 12 months to Apr 2026.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manor Gardens | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 18 |
| Apex Leisure Park | 8 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 33 | 14 |
| Jubilee Gardens | 10 | - | 7 | 1 | 24 | 9 |
| Burnham Road Playing Fields | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 24 | 7 |
| Burnham Swimming Pool | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 | 1 |
Recent Crimes in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge
The 20 most recent crime reports in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Smith Way | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Patricia Close | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Lynton Road | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Ashley Avenue | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Lynton Road | |
| April 2026 | Drugs | On or near Burnham Road | |
| April 2026 | Other theft | On or near Stodden'S Road | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Technical Street | |
| April 2026 | Robbery | On or near Technical Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Scott Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Regent Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Burnham Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near South Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Tanning Drive | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Barrington Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Barrington Road | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Tanning Drive | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Cuthbert Street | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Buckland Close | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Regent Street |
Methodology & Data Sources
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Crime Report
Data Sources & Processing
Every month, CrimeRate processes crime reports from data.police.uk, the UK's official provider of open crime report data. Each crime report includes anonymised coordinates, most often "snapped" to the middle of the nearest street, or to the nearest major landmark. The reports also include the month and year the crime was reported, as well as the type of crime.
Data releases on data.police.uk happen once a month, with a two-month delay. This means that, for example, crimes reported in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge during July 2026 will typically become available in September 2026. The latest release is for Apr 2026 and was released in Jun 2026. To provide current and historical crime statistics, CrimeRate processed 61,669,232 crime reports for the latest release.
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Data Points
For Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge, CrimeRate uses the geographic boundaries provided by The Office for National Statistics in the December 2023 release of their Parishes and Non Civil Parished Areas dataset, using the PARNCP23CD column value E04008611.
Due to the 2021 Census being conducted during a UK-wide Coronavirus lockdown, the daytime population figures released so far cannot be relied on for purposes such as comparing crime rates. Instead, CrimeRate uses Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge's daytime - or "workday" - population of 18,833 from the ONS 2011 Census for calculations throughout the site.
All geographic boundaries use the full resolution - extent of the realm versions where provided to avoid missing crime reports near coastlines and rivers - the banks of the Thames in particular - that would otherwise not be included when using the clipped to the coastline datasets.
Calculating Crime Rates
CrimeRate locates the UK region, county, and town/city/village locality for each crime report, and calculates the crime rate by taking the sum of all crime reports, dividing it by the locality's daytime / "workday" population, and multiplying the result by 1,000 to get the crime rate per 1,000.
Crime Risk Score Calculations
CrimeRate calculates crime counts for local, nearby, and wider areas for every postcode in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The postcodes locations are deduplicated by a process that ensures distinct points are approximately 50 metres apart. This process removes the bias that would otherwise come from counting the same crimes several times in heavily populated areas.
Using a custom algorithm developed in-house, CrimeRate applies a crime severity weighting to each area's crime counts, based on the type of crime reported. This increases or decreases the crime count, or zeroes it out entirely, depending on the crime type. A separate crime severity rate is then calculated, standardised, and scaled to fit the crime risk score range of 1 to 1,000, with 1 being the lowest score, and 1,000 the highest.
Crime risk scores undergo further analysis per town, city, and village plus other areas including police forces and neighbourhoods. CrimeRate uses percentiles to work out the most common range of crime risk scores in each locality. This includes identifying the high and low bounds where approximately 68% of scores fall, and finding the median (50th percentile) for easy reference.
The crime types with a weight of zero are: Anti-Social Behaviour; Bicycle Theft; Other Crime; Other Theft; and Shoplifting. The highest weights to are assigned to Violence & Sexual Offences, and the lowest to Vehicle Crime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crime in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge