Buying a home in WN8 (West Lancashire)
WN8 covers the Burscough Bridge & Rufford, Old Skelmersdale, Rural North East, Rural South, Skelmersdale North, Skelmersdale South, Tanhouse & Skelmersdale Town Centre and Up Holland wards, in West Lancashire.
What the records show in WN8 (West Lancashire): surface water flood risk is medium or high at 1 of the 8 postcodes we checked; and parts of the area are a radon Affected Area, with up to 10–30% of homes above the action level.
Land Registry recorded 35 sales there in the last 3 years, with a median price of £137,000, and the most common were terraced homes.
From official records at 8 postcodes. Conditions change from street to street, so check the home you're buying.
Check a home in WN8
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 1 of the 8 postcodes we checked
- RadonUp to 10–30% of homes above the action level
- GroundRunning sand and landslides recorded nearby
- Median sale£137,000 across 35 sales in the last 3 years
Facts from official records at sample postcodes, not a rating of WN8 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.
- High: 1 of 8 postcodes (WN8 6TX)
- Low: 1 of 8 postcodes
- Very low: 6 of 8 postcodes
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 6 of the 8 postcodes we checked, parts of the surrounding square are a radon Affected Area. The highest is up to 10–30% 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.
- Running sand: moderate near 7 of the 8 postcodes we checked
- Landslides: moderate near 1 of the 8 postcodes we checked
Non-coal mining hazard is low or none at every postcode we checked.
Ask your surveyor to look for cracking and movement, and the seller about subsidence claims.
Old landfill sites
Historic landfill sites within 500 m of each postcode centre.
No historic landfill within 500 m of all 8 postcodes we checked.
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 West Lancashire was £240,850 in August 2026, up 5.6% on a year earlier, across every home in the council area.
At the postcodes we checked, Land Registry has 35 sales in the last 3 years, with a median of £137,000 and a range of £72,000 to £20,076,306.
| Type | Sales | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced | 19 | £116,500 |
| Semi-detached | 8 | £170,000 |
| Detached | 3 | £204,000 |
| Flats and maisonettes | 3 | £89,000 |
| Other | 2 | £17,027,655 |
Crime
Measured around WN8 6HG, near the centre of WN8.
195 crimes were reported within about a mile of the centre in August 2026. Town centres usually have more, because of shops and nightlife.
- Violence and sexual offences80
- Anti-social behaviour33
- Criminal damage and arson14
- Vehicle crime13
- Drugs11
- Other crime11
Schools near the centre
The nearest schools by distance. Distance doesn't decide a place: each council's admissions rules do.
- St John's Catholic Primary School, Skelmersdale
Primary · ages 2–11 · Voluntary aided school · 390 m
- Woodland Community Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Community school · 450 m
- Delph Side Community Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Community school · 770 m
- Elm Tree Community Primary School
Primary · ages 4–11 · Community special school · 930 m
- Hillside Community Primary School
Primary · ages 4–11 · Community school · 970 m
- Lathom High School : A Technology College
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Foundation school · 1.6 km
- Maharishi Free School
Secondary · ages 4–16 · Free schools · 2.0 km
- West Lancashire Community High School
Secondary · ages 11–19 · Community special school · 2.3 km
- Hope High School
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Community special school · 2.3 km
Lancashire County 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WN8 6HG | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Moderate | None within 500 m |
| WN8 6SL | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Moderate | None within 500 m |
| WN8 6DW | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Moderate | None within 500 m |
| WN8 6EF | Outside | Low | 10–30% | Moderate | None within 500 m |
| WN8 6JU | Outside | Very low | less than 1% | Moderate | None within 500 m |
| WN8 6TX | Outside | High | 1–3% | Moderate | None within 500 m |
| WN8 6LH | Outside | Very low | less than 1% | Moderate | None within 500 m |
| WN8 6PY | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Moderate | 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 WN8 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.
- Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (Open Government Licence)
- data.police.uk street-level crime (Open Government Licence)
- Planning Data England (planning.data.gov.uk)