Bolton Flood Risk
In Bolton, 1,204 of 148,010 properties (0.8%) 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 153rd of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in Bolton 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 | 935 | 690 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 269 | 206 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 1,483 | 1,046 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 206 | 88 |
896 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 260 are non-residential. 155 postcodes in Bolton have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across Bolton
Counts are for the part of each district inside Bolton.
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in Bolton
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 26 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Bolton since 1980; the most recent started on 1 Jan 2025.
1980s 3 1990s 7 2000s 10 2010s 1 2020s 5
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 2025 | Bolton Breightmet NYE/NYD | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BL78 |
| 5 Dec 2024 | Crowborough Close Storm Darragh | Main river | Obstruction/blockage - channel | BL6 |
| 16 May 2021 – 17 May 2021 | Horwich | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BL6 |
| 6 Oct 2020 – 7 Oct 2020 | Epsom Croft | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | BL6 |
| 9 Feb 2020 | Prestolee | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BL4 |
| 26 Dec 2015 – 27 Dec 2015 | Bee Hive Roundabout, Horwich 17 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Obstruction/blockage - debris screen | BL2 BL3 BL4 BL6 BL7 |
| 21 Jan 2008 – 22 Jan 2008 | Eagley Brook Eagley 4 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | BL2 BL4 BL5 BL7 |
| 6 Dec 2007 – 7 Dec 2007 | Bessy Brook | Main river | Obstruction/blockage - debris screen | BL5 |
| 3 Aug 2004 – 4 Aug 2004 | BlackshawBrook Breightmet | Main river | Not recorded | BL2 |
| 4 Feb 2004 – 5 Feb 2004 | BradshawBrook | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | BL2 |
| 14 Jun 2003 – 15 Jun 2003 | — | Main river | Obstruction/blockage - debris screen | BL5 |
| 8 Nov 2002 – 9 Nov 2002 | — | Not recorded | Not recorded | BL1 |
| 14 Jun 2002 – 15 Jun 2002 | Bessy Brook 22 outlines | Main river, drainage | Other | BL1 BL2 BL5 BL7 BL78 |
| 13 Jun 2002 – 14 Jun 2002 | — | Main river | Obstruction/blockage - debris screen | BL5 |
| 20 Feb 2002 – 21 Feb 2002 | Blackshaw Brook Breightme 4 outlines | Main river | Local drainage/surface water | BL2 |
| 1 Jun 2000 – 2 Jun 2000 | — | Not recorded | Other | BL7 |
| 6 Jul 1999 | SingingClough StonecloughRoad | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BL4 |
| 5 Jul 1999 – 6 Jul 1999 | — 2 outlines | Not recorded | Other | BL2 BL4 |
| 2 Mar 1999 – 3 Mar 1999 | — 2 outlines | Not recorded | Obstruction/blockage - channel | BL1 BL4 |
| 6 Mar 1998 – 7 Mar 1998 | — | Not recorded | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BL2 |
| 28 Jan 1995 – 29 Jan 1995 | — 4 outlines | Not recorded | Other | BL2 |
| 25 Oct 1992 – 26 Oct 1992 | — | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BL6 |
| 21 Dec 1991 – 22 Dec 1991 | — | Not recorded | Other | BL2 |
| 15 Dec 1986 – 16 Dec 1986 | — | Not recorded | Not recorded | BL1 |
| 25 Oct 1986 – 26 Oct 1986 | — | Not recorded | Obstruction/blockage - channel | BL2 |
| 23 Oct 1980 – 24 Oct 1980 | — 7 outlines | Not recorded | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BL1 BL2 BL4 BL78 |
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.
"Bolton" means the local authority area (ONS code E08000001), not only the town centre.
If you live in Bolton
- 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 Bolton at risk of flooding?
In Bolton, 1,204 of 148,010 properties (0.8%) 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 153rd of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of Bolton have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district BL1 has the most: 669 properties at high or medium risk (1.9% of its properties in Bolton). The table on this page lists every district.
When did Bolton last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 26 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Bolton since 1980; the most recent started on 1 Jan 2025.
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.