Cheshire West and Chester Flood Risk
In Cheshire West and Chester, 3,265 of 205,965 properties (1.6%) 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 60th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in Cheshire West and Chester 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 | 2,215 | 1,284 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 1,050 | 704 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 2,985 | 2,179 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 220 | 177 |
1,988 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 865 are non-residential. 331 postcodes in Cheshire West and Chester have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across Cheshire West and Chester
Counts are for the part of each district inside Cheshire West and Chester.
| District | Properties | High + medium | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CH1 | 20,635 | 1,539 | 1,001 | 7.5% |
| CH65 | 17,988 | 352 | 323 | 2.0% |
| CH3 | 20,682 | 326 | 316 | 1.6% |
| CH2 | 19,319 | 296 | 271 | 1.5% |
| CH4 | 10,506 | 213 | 39 | 2.0% |
| CW9 | 19,550 | 198 | 24 | 1.0% |
| WA6 | 11,859 | 105 | 94 | 0.9% |
| CW8 | 21,944 | 74 | 43 | 0.3% |
| CH66 | 18,391 | 54 | 31 | 0.3% |
| CW7 | 19,116 | 53 | 40 | 0.3% |
| CH64 | 10,892 | 33 | 18 | 0.3% |
| CW6 | 6,762 | 8 | 4 | 0.1% |
| SY14 | 4,265 | 8 | 5 | 0.2% |
| CW10 | 751 | 4 | 4 | 0.5% |
| WA16 | 1,192 | 1 | 1 | 0.1% |
| WA4 | 1,058 | 1 | 1 | 0.1% |
| SY13 | 554 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| WA7 | 483 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| CH62 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| CH34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| CH88 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in Cheshire West and Chester
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 27 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Cheshire West and Chester since 1946; the most recent started on 16 Oct 2024.
1940s 1 1960s 1 1970s 2 1990s 4 2000s 10 2010s 4 2020s 5
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Oct 2024 | Abbotts Mead 7 outlines | Main river, drainage | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CH1 CH2 CH3 CW8 SY14 WA6 |
| 9 Apr 2024 – 10 Apr 2024 | Chester Boathouse Inn, Groves, Grosvenor Rowing Club, The Groves Chest | Sea | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CH88 |
| 20 Oct 2023 – 23 Oct 2023 | Aesthetics to cosemetics and Cheshire Trade Centre 22 outlines | Drainage, main river | Local drainage/surface water | CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH64 CH66 CW7 CW8 CW9 SY14 |
| 26 Aug 2023 | Ascot Drive and Chase Way, Great Sutton 4 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CH66 |
| 20 Jan 2021 | Abbots Mead 9 outlines | Main river, other | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CH1 CH3 CH66 CW7 CW8 CW9 WA6 |
| 26 Oct 2019 | Northwhich 4 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CW7 CW8 CW9 |
| 5 Dec 2013 | ChesterRacecourse 3 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CH88 |
| 27 Sep 2012 | Abbot's Mead | Other | Other | CH1 |
| 24 Sep 2012 | Weaver NorthwichBullring 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CW9 |
| 24 Nov 2009 – 26 Nov 2009 | Lower Dee | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | SY14 |
| 5 Sep 2008 | Rivacre ChaseWay | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CH66 |
| 31 Jan 2002 – 1 Feb 2002 | — | Not recorded | Not recorded | CH65 |
| 15 Jun 2001 – 16 Jun 2001 | — 2 outlines | Not recorded | Other | CW9 |
| 14 May 2001 – 15 May 2001 | — | Not recorded | Other | CW9 |
| 6 Nov 2000 – 7 Nov 2000 | Tattenhall 4 outlines | Ordinary watercourse, main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CH3 CH4 CW6 |
| 1 Nov 2000 – 16 Nov 2000 | Finchetts Gutter-Sealand Basin Flood 9 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CH1 CH3 CH4 SY14 |
| 30 Oct 2000 – 31 Oct 2000 | — 42 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CW7 CW9 |
| 26 Oct 2000 – 12 Nov 2000 | The old Bakery, Tilston Oct/ | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | SY14 |
| 10 Oct 2000 – 11 Oct 2000 | — | Not recorded | Other | CW8 |
| 1 Oct 1999 – 2 Oct 1999 | — | Not recorded | Other | CW6 |
| 24 Dec 1997 – 25 Dec 1997 | — | Not recorded | Obstruction/blockage - channel | WA6 |
| 1 Jan 1997 | Finchett's Gutter, Abboit's Mead 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CH1 |
| 27 Feb 1990 – 2 Mar 1990 | Chester Golf Club Feb/ 2 outlines | Other | Overtopping of defences | CH1 CH88 |
| 23 May 1971 – 24 May 1971 | — | Not recorded | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CH3 |
| 23 Apr 1971 – 24 Apr 1971 | — 18 outlines | Main river, ephemeral watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CH2 CH3 CH65 CW7 |
| 1 Jan 1964 | Balderton Brook tribs., Lache Eyes 12 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CH1 CH4 CH64 CH66 SY14 |
| 8 Feb 1946 – 9 Feb 1946 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | CW9 |
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.
"Cheshire West and Chester" means the local authority area (ONS code E06000050), not only the town centre.
If you live in Cheshire West and Chester
- 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 Cheshire West and Chester at risk of flooding?
In Cheshire West and Chester, 3,265 of 205,965 properties (1.6%) 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 60th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of Cheshire West and Chester have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district CH1 has the most: 1,539 properties at high or medium risk (7.5% of its properties in Cheshire West and Chester). The table on this page lists every district.
When did Cheshire West and Chester last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 27 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Cheshire West and Chester since 1946; the most recent started on 16 Oct 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.