Southend-on-Sea Flood Risk
Southend-on-Sea has a Very low flood risk from rivers and the sea , with 0.4% of homes in a Medium or High band. The nearest gauge is 14.3 km away.
Southend-on-Sea has 182,492 residents and 84,552 homes. Ranked 2537 of 7,114 in England for rivers and sea flood risk.
What Is The River Level Near Southend-on-Sea Right Now?
The nearest gauge is Wickford, 14.3 km from the centre of Southend-on-Sea, at Wickford. Its typical range is 0.021 m to 1.67 m, and the highest level on record is 2.689 m, reached on 14 January 2021.
No current reading has been published for this gauge.
When Has Southend-on-Sea Flooded Before?
The Environment Agency holds 1 recorded flood outlines covering Southend-on-Sea, the most recent dated 1 February 1953.
Absence of a record is not evidence that a place has never flooded — the Environment Agency states that a lack of coverage does not mean an area has never flooded.
What Does Southend-on-Sea's Flood Risk Classification Mean?
1.7% of postcodes in Southend-on-Sea sit in Flood Zone 3, the planning band for land with a 1% or greater annual chance of river flooding or 0.5% or greater of sea flooding — and the map that draws it deliberately ignores flood defences.
The flood risk band for rivers and the sea is Very low , with 0.4% of homes in a Medium or High band. Unlike the Flood Zone, the band counts the defences that are actually in place, which is why the two can describe the same street differently and both be right.
Which Postcode Districts Cover Southend-on-Sea?
Each district below is one postcode district that falls inside Southend-on-Sea. The band is the one shared by most of that district's postcodes, so it describes the district rather than a single street — enter a full postcode in the checker for one address. A district can cover more than one town, and the district pages linked from the checker are keyed to the town that holds most of its postcodes.
| Postcode district | Postcodes here | Rivers and sea band | Surface water addresses |
|---|---|---|---|
| SS9 | 1,028 | Low | 2,298 |
| SS0 | 718 | Low | 1,706 |
| SS2 | 679 | Low | 2,554 |
| SS1 | 602 | Low | 1,983 |
| SS3 | 390 | Low | 1,055 |
| SS6 | 9 | High | 20 |
| SS7 | 8 | High | 24 |
| SS4 | 4 | Medium | 14 |
What Else Is Near Southend-on-Sea?
Other places on the River Crouch, nearest to Southend-on-Sea first.