Back to top

Am I at Risk?

1 in 6 properties in England are at risk of flooding from rivers, sea and surface water, with many others susceptible to various sources of flooding. This number is only set to increase due to climate change, making the need for you as a property owner to check your own risk ever more important. A variety of information is available to help you check your flood risk, giving you a head start to prepare your property for potential flooding.

Flood Risk Maps

Maps are a useful way of visually representing the risk of different types of flooding where you live and in the surrounding area.

The following maps have been produced by the Environment Agency:

  • A map showing the potential extent of flooding to properties from rivers, surface water or reservoirs across the UK, as well as details of the long term risk of flooding for a property. By entering your postcode here and selecting your property, you can find out who your Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) is and then click through to the map to learn more about your flood risk.
  • This flood map for planning is used in development planning to find out the probability of flooding for a location, and indicates the flood zone an area is in.
  • A 5-day flood risk forecast for counties in the UK, highlighting the risk level of areas on a map from very low to high. This can be found on the Environment Agency ‘Check for Flooding’ Service.
An example of the Environment Agency's flood risk map showing the extent of flooding from the rivers or sea. The extent is high, medium, low and very low.

Example of the Environment Agency’s flood risk map

 

There may be extra information available for your local area from your Local Authority or County Council. Click here to find your local council.

If there are flood schemes to reduce flood risk in your area, whether ongoing or complete, there will always remain a level of residual risk present. Please don’t rely on these schemes for full protection or expect them to remove flood risk completely.