Flood Risk Checker: Check The Flood Risk Of Any UK Postcode
Flood risk is the official likelihood that a location floods from rivers and the sea, surface water, groundwater or reservoirs. Enter a UK postcode to see the flood risk band for each source, the planning Flood Zone and the nearest river gauge.
1.7m UK postcodes · Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA and DfI Rivers data
What Is The Flood Risk In The UK Right Now?
Counts come from the Environment Agency and SEPA flood-monitoring feeds, read at 20 Sept, 14:34 UTC. 3,831 gauges returned a reading.
Where Flooding Comes From
Flood risk is not one number. A property carries a separate level for each source, and the sources are assessed by different methods.
England figures, Environment Agency national assessment (published 17 December 2024). See methodology and data sources.
What The Four Flood Risk Levels Mean
Why A Flood Zone 3 House Can Be Low Risk
Flood Zones show what would flood if there were no defences, and they cover rivers and the sea only. Flood risk bands count the defences that are actually there. So a house behind a barrier can sit in Flood Zone 3 and be banded Low, and both statements are correct.
Flood Risk By Place
- 1 Goole High 20,497 people · rank 31 in England
- 2 Spalding Medium 30,531 people · rank 35 in England
- 3 Stainforth High 6,201 people · rank 47 in England
- 4 Dunscroft and Hatfield High 12,735 people · rank 64 in England
- 5 Wisbech Medium 26,486 people · rank 88 in England
- 6 Bentley (Doncaster) Medium 12,559 people · rank 102 in England
- 7 Old Windsor and Wraysbury High 7,919 people · rank 109 in England
- 8 Coningsby and Tattershall High 5,577 people · rank 110 in England
- 9 Moorends Medium 5,187 people · rank 115 in England
- 10 Chertsey High 14,994 people · rank 120 in England
- 11 Preesall and Knott End-on-Sea High 5,304 people · rank 124 in England
- 12 Shepperton High 6,383 people · rank 134 in England
- 13 Egham High 27,782 people · rank 157 in England
- 14 Todmorden High 13,564 people · rank 158 in England
- 15 Cleethorpes High 29,735 people · rank 166 in England
- 16 East Wittering High 6,147 people · rank 175 in England
- 17 Staines-upon-Thames High 21,713 people · rank 176 in England
- 18 Selsey High 10,604 people · rank 191 in England
- 19 Paddock Wood High 7,573 people · rank 224 in England
- 20 Barton-upon-Humber High 11,566 people · rank 238 in England
Ranked within each nation, never across them: SEPA's High is a 1-in-10-year event and the Environment Agency's starts at 1-in-30 (methodology). See the full ranked list.
Rivers Being Watched
The ten gauges whose highest recorded level stands furthest above their typical range. This is a record, not a live reading.
- 1 Spring Gardens Dam 9.14 m above typical · record 10.77 m
- 2 Holbeam Dam 8.36 m above typical · record 9.10 m
- 3 Medbourne Flood Storage Reservoir 7.93 m above typical · record 11.50 m
- 4 Skipton Waller Hill Reservoir 7.47 m above typical · record 8.31 m
- 5 Nun Appleton Fleet Pumping Station 7.47 m above typical · record 9.51 m
- 6 Bruton Dam 6.99 m above typical · record 10.70 m
- 7 Ripon Birkby Nab 6.02 m above typical · record 6.87 m
- 8 Cock Beck Sluices 5.54 m above typical · record 12.84 m
- 9 Fenton Dam 5.46 m above typical · record 7.10 m
- 10 Sands Centre, Carlisle 5.41 m above typical · record 7.91 m
What Flood Risk Means For Your Money
How insurers price flood risk, what Flood Re covers, and which route applies when a standard insurer declines.
What an environmental search shows, what to ask the seller, and how lenders treat a property in a flood risk area.
Flood Risk Checker: Questions People Ask
Is This The Official Government Flood Risk Service?
No. Flood Risk Checker is an independent website. It republishes Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and SEPA data under the Open Government Licence, and it is not run by, or affiliated with, any government body.
How Accurate Is A Postcode Flood Risk Check?
A postcode check describes the flood risk of the area around a postcode, not of one building. The Environment Agency states that its long term flood risk information does not tell you how likely it is that an individual property will flood.
Does This Checker Cover Scotland, Wales And Northern Ireland?
Yes. Each nation uses its own agency and classification: the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA in Scotland and DfI Rivers in Northern Ireland. Scotland does not use Flood Zones.
Is There A Flood Risk App?
This checker works in any phone browser without a download. In England, the Environment Agency's free flood warning service sends warnings by phone call, text or email; sign up online or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188.
How Often Is The Flood Risk Data Updated?
Long term flood risk changes when an agency republishes its assessment; England's was published in December 2024. River gauges usually take a reading every 15 minutes, and this site checks for new readings every 15 minutes.
What Is The Difference Between A Flood Alert And A Flood Warning?
A flood alert means flooding is possible, so prepare now. A flood warning means flooding is expected, so act now. A severe flood warning means flooding could cause danger to life.
Can Flood Risk Change Over Time?
Yes. A flood risk band changes when defences are built or improved, when the national model is updated, and as the climate changes. The Environment Agency estimates that 1 in 4 properties in England could be in areas at risk by mid-century.
Where Is The Official Environment Agency Flood Map?
The Environment Agency publishes two maps on GOV.UK: Check your long term flood risk, which shows the chance of flooding, and the Flood Map for Planning, which shows Flood Zones for planning applications. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland publish their own.