Blackburn with Darwen Flood Risk
In Blackburn with Darwen, 1,436 of 76,999 properties (1.9%) are in areas at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers and the sea — at least a 1 in 100 chance in any year — per Environment Agency data updated 6 July 2026; that ranks 137th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in Blackburn with Darwen by flood-risk band
| Risk band | Chance of flooding each year | All properties | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 3.3% (1 in 30) or greater chance in any year | 679 | 281 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 757 | 485 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 2,077 | 1,095 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 177 | 104 |
766 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 639 are non-residential. 135 postcodes in Blackburn with Darwen have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across Blackburn with Darwen
Counts are for the part of each district inside Blackburn with Darwen.
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in Blackburn with Darwen
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 23 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Blackburn with Darwen since 1977; the most recent started on 31 Dec 2024.
1970s 1 1980s 1 1990s 4 2000s 8 2010s 6 2020s 3
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2024 – 1 Jan 2025 | — 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BB1 |
| 16 Jun 2020 – 17 Jun 2020 | Whalley New Road | Not recorded | Not recorded | BB1 |
| 9 Feb 2020 – 10 Feb 2020 | Haslingden Old Road Haslingden Old Road Haslingden Old Road Haslingden 2 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | BB1 |
| 21 Oct 2017 – 22 Oct 2017 | River Darwen | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BB3 |
| 17 Mar 2017 – 18 Mar 2017 | Clough Street Darwen | Main river | Obstruction/blockage - debris screen | BB3 |
| 26 Dec 2015 – 27 Dec 2015 | Ribchester 9 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BB1 BB2 BB3 |
| 5 Dec 2015 – 6 Dec 2015 | Ribblesdale Road, Ribchester | Not recorded | Not recorded | BB1 |
| 22 Jun 2012 – 23 Jun 2012 | Branch Road 8 outlines | Main river, drainage | Other | BB1 BB2 BB3 |
| 10 Aug 2011 | Ribbchester | Main river | Not recorded | BB1 |
| 27 Jun 2009 | Arran Avenue, Blackburn | Ordinary watercourse | Obstruction/blockage - channel | BB1 |
| 21 Jan 2008 – 22 Jan 2008 | General Flooding at Ribchester | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BB1 |
| 3 Jul 2007 – 4 Jul 2007 | Ribchester Flood Event | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BB1 |
| 25 Aug 2004 – 26 Aug 2004 | George ST. West Flooding 2 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Overtopping of defences | BB1 BB2 |
| 14 Jun 2002 – 15 Jun 2002 | — 6 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Obstruction/blockage - channel | BB1 BB2 BB3 |
| 26 Oct 2000 – 27 Oct 2000 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BB1 |
| 4 Jun 2000 – 5 Jun 2000 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BB1 |
| 8 Mar 2000 – 9 Mar 2000 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BB1 |
| 6 Dec 1999 – 7 Dec 1999 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BB1 |
| 29 Sep 1999 – 30 Sep 1999 | — | Ordinary watercourse | Obstruction/blockage - culvert | BB3 |
| 6 Mar 1998 – 7 Mar 1998 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BB1 |
| 31 Jan 1995 – 1 Feb 1995 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BB1 |
| 27 Oct 1980 – 28 Oct 1980 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BB1 |
| 25 Aug 1977 – 26 Aug 1977 | Blackburn Council outline 2 outlines | Main river | Overtopping of defences | BB2 |
What this page shows, and what it misses
The Environment Agency's count of properties in each postcode that sit in areas of land at very low, low, medium or high risk of flooding from rivers and the sea, allowing for flood defences and their condition, added up here by postcode district and local authority. Every property in England is counted once, so the share is of all properties in the area.
It misses: surface water (heavy rain), groundwater, sewer and reservoir flooding; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; and anything about a single building. A band describes the land a property stands on, not its floor level or flood protection, so it is not a forecast for any one home. Past floods come from the EA's Recorded Flood Outlines and are placed in the postcode district whose centre is nearest (within 12 km), so a flood near a boundary can be listed under a neighbour. Older records are patchy, and a flood with no outline is not listed.
"Blackburn with Darwen" means the local authority area (ONS code E06000008), not only the town centre.
If you live in Blackburn with Darwen
- Check your own address on gov.uk; it also covers surface water.
- Sign up for free flood warnings: gov.uk/get-flood-warnings. Floodline: 0345 988 1188.
- What is in force now: flood warnings UK · river levels.
- Never walk or drive through flood water: why shallow water kills.
FAQQuestions people ask
Is Blackburn with Darwen at risk of flooding?
In Blackburn with Darwen, 1,436 of 76,999 properties (1.9%) are in areas at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers and the sea — at least a 1 in 100 chance in any year — per Environment Agency data updated 6 July 2026; that ranks 137th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of Blackburn with Darwen have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district BB3 has the most: 762 properties at high or medium risk (3.8% of its properties in Blackburn with Darwen). The table on this page lists every district.
When did Blackburn with Darwen last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 23 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Blackburn with Darwen since 1977; the most recent started on 31 Dec 2024.
Does this include surface water flooding?
No. These counts cover flooding from rivers and the sea only. Surface water (heavy rain) flooding affects more properties in England; check it for one address on gov.uk's long-term flood risk service.
Flood risk counts: Environment Agency, Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea – Postcodes in Areas at Risk and Recorded Flood Outlines, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2025. All rights reserved. Some features of this information are based on digital spatial data from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, © NERC (CEH). © Crown Copyright and Database Rights 2025 OS AC0000807064. This product is produced in part from PAF® and Multiple Residence Data, the copyright in which is owned by Royal Mail Group Limited and/or Royal Mail Group plc. All rights reserved. Licence number AC0000807064.
Local authority of each postcode: Office for National Statistics postcode lookup (May 2026), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. District centres and place names: postcodes.io (ONS/OS open data). Totals, ranks and grouping are Global Incident Tracker's own calculations; the Environment Agency does not endorse them.