CO3 postcode area guide — Colchester

Where is CO3?

Broadband & internet speeds in CO3

Strong coverage

Broadband availability in the CO3 postcode district (Colchester) is Strong — superfast is near-universal and gigabit is rolling out. Across the 859 postcodes Ofcom measures in CO3, superfast broadband (30 Mbit/s or faster) reaches 97.7% of premises and gigabit-capable lines are available to 79.9%.

Around 0.1% of premises in CO3 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 CO3

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

Mobile signal around Colchester

Ofcom's coverage model for the wider Colchester district (91,695 premises):

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

Crime in CO3

Police recorded 130 incidents within about a mile of the centre of CO3 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 CO3

Based on 426 sales registered with HM Land Registry in the last 12 months, the median sold price in CO3 is £345,000, down 3.5% on the previous year (£357,500).

Latest recorded sales in CO3

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

Who lives here? Colchester demographics

Census 2021 figures for the wider Colchester district (192,716 residents, 79,711 households):

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

Schools in and around CO3

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 CO3

212 rated food businesses operate in CO3. 153 hold the top rating of 5, 11 are rated 4, and 2 are rated 2 or below.

Among the 5-rated: Aldi Stores Ltd, Aramark Ltd @ Colchester Institute, Asda Express Colchester - Shrub End Road PFS, Banquet, Beacon House.

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

Energy performance (EPC) in CO3

From a sample of 165 Energy Performance Certificates across 10 CO3 postcodes, the most common rating is band D (average band C). 59% 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 Colchester

Landlines around CO3 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 CO3?

Postcodes in CO3

Neighbouring districts

All Colchester (CO) 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.