Buying a home in BL5 (Bolton)
BL5 covers the Halliwell, Horwich South & Blackrod, Hulton, Westhoughton North & Hunger Hill and Westhoughton South wards, in Bolton.
What the records show in BL5 (Bolton): surface water flood risk is medium or high at 2 of the 8 postcodes we checked; and old landfill lies within 500 m of 2 of the 8 postcodes we checked.
Land Registry recorded 17 sales there in the last 3 years, with a median price of £220,000, and the most common were detached homes.
From official records at 8 postcodes. Conditions change from street to street, so check the home you're buying.
Check a home in BL5
Enter a postcode or address for the free area check at that exact postcode.
At a glance
- Rivers and seaOutside mapped flood areas at all 8 postcodes we checked
- Surface waterMedium or high at 2 of the 8 postcodes we checked
- RadonUp to 1–3% of homes above the action level
- GroundNo moderate or significant hazards
- Median sale£220,000 across 17 sales in the last 3 years
Facts from official records at sample postcodes, not a rating of BL5 or of any home.
Flooding from rivers and the sea
We checked each postcode centre against the Environment Agency's flood zones.
All 8 postcodes we checked are outside mapped river and sea flood areas. Homes nearer a river or the coast can still be in one.
Surface water flooding
Flooding from heavy rain that can't drain away.
Medium means a 1% to 3.3% chance of flooding each year, and high more than that. It changes over a few metres, so look at the drainage when you view.
Radon
From the UK Health Security Agency's map of each 1 km square.
At 4 of the 8 postcodes we checked, parts of the surrounding square are a radon Affected Area. The highest is up to 1–3% of homes above the action level.
The map shows the highest value in each square, not a measurement for any home. A three-month test tells you about a particular house.
Ground stability
British Geological Survey ratings for the surrounding area, not a particular plot.
No moderate or significant natural ground hazards near the postcodes we checked.
Non-coal mining hazard is low or none at every postcode we checked.
Old landfill sites
Historic landfill sites within 500 m of each postcode centre.
Most old landfill causes no problems, but a home on or next to one can be harder to mortgage.
Conservation areas and listed buildings
Whether each postcode centre falls in a conservation area, on a listed building's site, or under similar protections.
None of the 8 postcode centres we checked falls in a conservation area or on a listed building's site.
Broadband and mobile
Ofcom's predictions for every address at the 8 postcodes we checked.
We couldn't get Ofcom's figures when this guide was built.
House prices
The average price in Bolton was £203,951 in August 2026, up 4.8% on a year earlier, across every home in the council area.
At the postcodes we checked, Land Registry has 17 sales in the last 3 years, with a median of £220,000 and a range of £114,000 to £445,000.
| Type | Sales | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | 7 | £325,000 |
| Semi-detached | 6 | £207,500 |
| Flats and maisonettes | 4 | £121,250 |
Crime
Measured around BL5 3BY, near the centre of BL5.
0 crimes were reported within about a mile of the centre in the latest month. Town centres usually have more, because of shops and nightlife.
Schools near the centre
The nearest schools by distance. Distance doesn't decide a place: each council's admissions rules do.
- Woodland Primary Academy
Primary · ages 5–11 · Academy converter · 520 m
- Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School
Primary · ages 4–11 · Voluntary aided school · 570 m
- St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School
Primary · ages 5–11 · Voluntary aided school · 680 m
- St Thomas CofE Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Voluntary aided school · 850 m
- The Gates Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Community school · 1.1 km
- Oakfield High School and College
Secondary · ages 11–19 · Community special school · 3.1 km
- Atherton High School
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Free schools · 3.4 km
- Ladybridge High School
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Community school · 3.4 km
- Rumworth School
Secondary · ages 11–19 · Community special school · 3.5 km
Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council: Primary admissions ↗ · Secondary admissions ↗
Postcode by postcode
Each row is one postcode centre we checked. Open a postcode for the full free area check.
| Postcode | Rivers and sea | Surface water | Radon | Ground | Landfill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BL5 3BY | Outside | High | 1–3% | Low | None within 500 m |
| BL5 3HB | Outside | Very low | less than 1% | Low | None within 500 m |
| BL5 3EQ | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Low | 1 within 500 m |
| BL5 2QB | Outside | Very low | less than 1% | Low | None within 500 m |
| BL5 3TB | Outside | Very low | less than 1% | Low | 1 within 500 m |
| BL5 3AS | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Low | None within 500 m |
| BL5 2NB | Outside | High | 1–3% | Low | None within 500 m |
| BL5 3YE | Outside | Very low | less than 1% | Low | None within 500 m |
What this guide can't tell you
- It covers 8 postcodes, not every street, and leaves out planning applications: check the postcode you're buying in.
- It isn't a survey, a search or advice, and doesn't rate BL5 or any home.
Sources
Checked 30 October 2026. We refresh these guides every month.
- HM Land Registry Price Paid Data
- Contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI 2026. BGS/UKHSA Indicative Atlas of Radon
- Environment Agency, Historic Landfill Sites (Environment Agency Conditional Licence). Contains Environment Agency information © Environment Agency and/or database right.
- British Geological Survey, GeoSure 5 km and mining hazard 1 km hex grids (Open Government Licence). Contains NERC materials ©NERC 2026.
- Environment Agency, Risk of Flooding from Surface Water (Open Government Licence)
- UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry and Registers of Scotland), Open Government Licence. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right. Contains Registers of Scotland data © Crown copyright and database right.
- data.police.uk street-level crime (Open Government Licence)
- Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (Open Government Licence)
- Planning Data England (planning.data.gov.uk)