 This is mainly as a result of labour recruitment in the early 1950s by the London Brick Company from Southern Italy.From 1954 to 2008 Bedford had its own Italian vice-consulate.At the 2011 Census, the ethnic mix of the Bedford urban area was 74.4% white, 4% mixed, 15% Asian/Asian British, 5% Black/African/Caribbean/Black British, and 1% "other ethnic group".