Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Flood Risk
In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, 2,322 of 218,487 properties (1.1%) 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 94th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 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 | 1,229 | 833 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 1,093 | 784 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 4,610 | 3,768 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 441 | 399 |
1,617 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 538 are non-residential. 266 postcodes in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Counts are for the part of each district inside Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
| District | Properties | High + medium | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BH15 | 21,237 | 809 | 223 | 3.8% |
| BH23 | 28,500 | 653 | 425 | 2.3% |
| BH6 | 12,535 | 298 | 246 | 2.4% |
| BH10 | 9,918 | 224 | 152 | 2.3% |
| BH13 | 6,135 | 117 | 98 | 1.9% |
| BH14 | 13,696 | 68 | 42 | 0.5% |
| BH8 | 16,423 | 49 | 0 | 0.3% |
| BH11 | 10,691 | 34 | 28 | 0.3% |
| BH21 | 3,611 | 25 | 3 | 0.7% |
| BH17 | 11,363 | 12 | 0 | 0.1% |
| BH7 | 6,069 | 12 | 0 | 0.2% |
| BH16 | 1,680 | 11 | 2 | 0.7% |
| BH2 | 7,098 | 6 | 6 | 0.1% |
| BH1 | 16,578 | 4 | 4 | 0.0% |
| BH12 | 17,435 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| BH9 | 14,019 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| BH5 | 6,939 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| BH4 | 6,714 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| BH18 | 5,283 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| BH3 | 2,563 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 25 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole since 1959; the most recent started on 21 Oct 2021.
1950s 2 1970s 3 1980s 3 1990s 2 2000s 4 2010s 10 2020s 1
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 2021 – 22 Oct 2021 | Sturminster Marshall | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH18 |
| 14 Feb 2014 – 17 Mar 2014 | Christchurch to 17 outlines | Sea, main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH23 BH6 |
| 8 Feb 2014 | This represents flooding in the area in | Main river | Not recorded | BH23 |
| 17 Jan 2014 | Burton to 2 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH23 |
| 7 Jan 2014 | Christchurch to | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH7 |
| 6 Jan 2014 | Burton, Christchurch to 2 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH23 BH7 |
| 26 Dec 2013 | Christchurch to | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH6 |
| 25 Dec 2013 – 7 Jan 2014 | Christchurch to 5 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH11 BH6 BH7 |
| 21 Dec 2012 | This represents flooding in the area in | Not recorded | Not recorded | BH23 |
| 20 Dec 2012 | This represents flooding in the area in | Not recorded | Not recorded | BH23 |
| 1 Jan 2012 | This represents flooding in the area in | Not recorded | Not recorded | BH23 |
| 11 Feb 2009 | Stour Flood 49 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH10 BH11 BH18 BH6 BH7 BH8 BH9 |
| 29 Dec 2003 | This represents flooding in the area in | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH23 |
| 1 Jan 2001 | This represents flooding in the area in | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH23 |
| 13 Dec 2000 | This represents flooding in the area in | Not recorded | Other | BH23 |
| 28 Feb 1995 | This represents flooding in the area in | Main river | Not recorded | BH23 |
| 1 Feb 1990 | This represents flooding in the area in | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH23 |
| 22 Dec 1989 – 24 Dec 1989 | Stour Corfe Mullen to Christchurch 12 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH10 BH11 BH18 BH23 BH6 BH7 BH8 BH9 |
| 1 Dec 1989 | Green Gardens | Sea | Overtopping of defences | BH15 |
| 17 Mar 1982 – 19 Mar 1982 | Avon 24 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH23 BH7 |
| 27 Dec 1979 – 28 Dec 1979 | Stour 19 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH10 BH11 BH23 BH6 BH7 BH9 |
| 30 May 1979 – 31 May 1979 | Stour 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH11 BH8 |
| 1 Mar 1979 | This represents flooding in the area in 3 outlines | Not recorded | Not recorded | BH23 |
| 24 Jan 1959 | This represents flooding in the area in | Not recorded | Not recorded | BH23 |
| 23 Jan 1959 – 24 Jan 1959 | Avon & Frome 38 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH10 BH11 BH18 BH23 BH6 BH7 BH9 |
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.
"Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole" means the local authority area (ONS code E06000058), not only the town centre.
If you live in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole at risk of flooding?
In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, 2,322 of 218,487 properties (1.1%) 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 94th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district BH15 has the most: 809 properties at high or medium risk (3.8% of its properties in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole). The table on this page lists every district.
When did Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 25 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole since 1959; the most recent started on 21 Oct 2021.
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.