| Area Code: | LE |
The LE postcode area, also known as the Leicester postcode area,[1] is a group of 21 postcode districts in central England, within 12 post towns. These cover most of Leicestershire (including Leicester, Loughborough, Hinckley, Melton Mowbray, Coalville, Market Harborough, Ashby de la Zouch, Lutterworth, Wigston, Markfield and Ibstock) and most of Rutland (including Oakham), plus small parts of south Nottinghamshire and north Northamptonshire, and very small parts of Derbyshire and Warwickshire.
Most of the districts are organised in a clockwise fashion - this is true for LE2-LE5 in Leicester (starting in the south east), LE6-LE9 surrounding Leicester (starting in the north west), and LE10-LE17 for most of the other post towns around Leicester (in order: Hinckley, Loughborough, Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Market Harborough and Lutterworth). Exceptions to this rule are later creations - LE18 for Wigston was split from LE8 in 1992, LE19 for Narborough was split from LE3 and LE9 in 2002 and LE65/67 were split from LE6 in circa 1992.
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The approximate coverage of the postcode districts:
|-! LE1| LEICESTER| Leicester| Leicester|-! LE2| LEICESTER| Oadby, Knighton, Highfields, Aylestone, Eyres Monsell, Glen Parva, Stoughton, Little Stretton| Leicester, Oadby and Wigston, Harborough, Blaby|-! LE3| LEICESTER| Braunstone, Glenfield, New Parks, Groby Road (A50), Leicester Forest East, Westcotes| Leicester, Blaby|-! LE4| LEICESTER| Beaumont Leys, Belgrave, Birstall, Thurmaston| Leicester, Charnwood|-! LE5| LEICESTER| Hamilton, Thurnby Lodge, Evington| Leicester|-! LE6| LEICESTER| Ratby, Groby, Newtown Linford | Hinckley and Bosworth, Charnwood|-! LE7| LEICESTER| Scraptoft, Thurnby, Anstey, Billesdon, Gaddesby, Hungarton, Rearsby, Tilton on the Hill, Tugby, Cropston, Thurcaston, Rothley, Barkby, Syston, Wanlip| Charnwood, Harborough, Melton|-! LE8| LEICESTER| Blaby, Great Glen, Fleckney, Kibworth, Peatling Magna, Countesthorpe, Whetstone| Blaby, Harborough|-! LE9| LEICESTER| Kirby Muxloe, Stoney Stanton, Cosby, Huncote, Croft, Desford, Newbold Verdon, Kirkby Mallory, Earl Shilton, Barwell, Sapcote, Sutton in the Elms, Broughton Astley, Thurlaston, Potters Marston| Hinckley and Bosworth, Blaby, Harborough|-! LE10| HINCKLEY| Hinckley, Burbage, Wolvey, Sharnford, Aston Flamville, Copston Magna| Hinckley and Bosworth, Blaby, Rugby|-! LE11| LOUGHBOROUGH| Loughborough, Nanpantan| Charnwood|-! LE12| LOUGHBOROUGH| East Leake, West Leake, Sutton Bonington, Long Whatton, Mountsorrel, Shepshed, Belton, Hathern, Quorn, Barrow Upon Soar, Sileby, Wymeswold| Charnwood, North West Leicestershire, Rushcliffe|-! LE13| MELTON MOWBRAY| Melton Mowbray| Melton|-! LE14| MELTON MOWBRAY| Ashby Folville, Brooksby, Harby, Hickling, Hoby, Ragdale, Rotherby, Scalford, Somerby, Stonesby, Waltham on the Wolds, Wymondham| Melton, Rushcliffe|-! LE15| OAKHAM| Oakham, Cold Overton, Empingham, Knossington, Langham, Manton, Owston and Newbold, Thistleton, Uppingham, Whissendine| Rutland, Melton, Harborough|-! LE16| MARKET HARBOROUGH| Market Harborough, Arthingworth, Ashley, Braybrooke, Caldecott, Clipston, East Carlton, East Farndon, East Langton, Great Oxendon, Hallaton, Marston Trussell, Medbourne, Rockingham, Sibbertoft, Stoke Albany| Harborough, West Northamptonshire, North Northamptonshire, Rutland|-! LE17| LUTTERWORTH| Lutterworth, Leire, Swinford, Bitteswell, Ullesthorpe, Theddingworth, Gilmorton, Catthorpe, Claybrooke Magna, Wibtoft| Harborough, Rugby|-! LE18| WIGSTON| Wigston, South Wigston, Kilby| Oadby and Wigston, Blaby|-! LE19| LEICESTER| Narborough, Enderby, Littlethorpe| Blaby|-! style="background:#FFFFFF;"|LE21| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|LEICESTER| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|non-geographic|-! style="background:#FFFFFF;"|LE41| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|LEICESTER| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|Large user (otherwise in LE4)| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|non-geographic|-! style="background:#FFFFFF;"|LE55| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|LEICESTER| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|non-geographic|-! LE65| ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH| Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Boundary, Calke, Smisby, Willesley, Worthington| North West Leicestershire, South Derbyshire|-! rowspan="3"| LE67| COALVILLE| Coalville| North West Leicestershire|-| IBSTOCK| Ibstock| North West Leicestershire|-| MARKFIELD| Markfield| Hinckley and Bosworth|-! style="background:#FFFFFF;"|LE87| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|LEICESTER| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|non-geographic|-! style="background:#FFFFFF;"|LE94| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|LEICESTER| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|non-geographic|-! style="background:#FFFFFF;"|LE95| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|LEICESTER| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|| style="background:#FFFFFF;"|non-geographic|}
The LE2, LE3 and LE4 postcode districts are all among the top five by population.[2]