AL3 postcode area guide — Central Bedfordshire

Where is AL3?

Broadband & internet speeds in AL3

Strong coverage

Broadband availability in the AL3 postcode district (Central Bedfordshire) is Strong — superfast is near-universal and gigabit is rolling out. Across the 949 postcodes Ofcom measures in AL3, superfast broadband (30 Mbit/s or faster) reaches 89.4% of premises and gigabit-capable lines are available to 70.9%.

Around 0.2% of premises in AL3 fall below the Universal Service Obligation (a minimum of 10 Mbit/s download and 1 Mbit/s upload), so the overwhelming majority of homes and businesses here can already order a decent fixed line. For a business that depends on its connection, the figures that matter most are gigabit and full-fibre availability — the symmetric, low-contention services we quote leased lines and FTTP against.

Sample postcodes in AL3

Run a speed test to see what you're actually getting, or check your exact postcode.

Mobile signal around Central Bedfordshire

Ofcom's coverage model for the wider Central Bedfordshire district (140,687 premises):

Signal varies street by street — use the mobile coverage checker to compare EE, O2, Three and Vodafone at an exact postcode.

Crime in AL3

Police recorded 2 incidents within about a mile of the centre of AL3 in May 2026 (latest published street-level data). The breakdown:

Raw counts favour busy town centres — a high street with shops and nightlife records more incidents than a residential cul-de-sac. Source: police.uk open data (point sample around the district centroid).

House prices in AL3

Based on 293 sales registered with HM Land Registry in the last 12 months, the median sold price in AL3 is £622,500, down 1.6% on the previous year (£632,500).

Latest recorded sales in AL3

Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Who lives here? Central Bedfordshire demographics

Census 2021 figures for the wider Central Bedfordshire district (294,252 residents, 120,754 households):

Source: ONS Census 2021 (district level — the finest openly licensed cut we republish). © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Schools in and around AL3

Source: DfE Get Information about Schools (England & Wales). Check Ofsted report cards for inspection detail — headline one-word grades were retired in 2024.

Food hygiene ratings in AL3

203 rated food businesses operate in AL3. 142 hold the top rating of 5, 33 are rated 4, and 4 are rated 2 or below.

Among the 5-rated: ABC-XYZ Childcare @ Bernards Heath Juniors, Accent Catering Service Ltd @ St Albans School, Alban Manor Nursing Home, Aloha Poke, Apple Trees Child Care.

Source: Food Standards Agency, food hygiene ratings (FHRS) open data.

Energy performance (EPC) in AL3

From a sample of 235 Energy Performance Certificates across 11 AL3 postcodes, the most common rating is band C (average band C). 55% of sampled homes are rated C or better.

Source: MHCLG Energy Performance of Buildings Data (England & Wales), sampled at postcode level and refreshed monthly. Individual certificates are on each postcode’s page.

Phone area codes for Central Bedfordshire

Landlines around AL3 typically use:

Had a call from an unknown number? Use our free UK phone number checker to see who called.

What's it like living in AL3?

Postcodes in AL3

Neighbouring districts

All St Albans (AL) postcode districts ›

Frequently asked questions

Sources: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, police.uk street-level crime, Ofcom Connected Nations, ONS Census 2021, DfE Get Information about Schools, Food Standards Agency FHRS — all © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are area aggregates; individual addresses vary. Energy performance (EPC) data will be added when our Open Data Communities registration is approved.