County Durham Flood Risk
In County Durham, 2,006 of 313,219 properties (0.6%) 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 104th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in County Durham 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 | 1,307 | 707 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 699 | 415 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 2,417 | 1,694 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 607 | 460 |
1,122 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 655 are non-residential. 368 postcodes in County Durham have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across County Durham
Counts are for the part of each district inside County Durham.
| District | Properties | High + medium | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DH1 | 27,027 | 405 | 304 | 1.5% |
| DL14 | 24,057 | 367 | 278 | 1.5% |
| DL13 | 12,898 | 307 | 167 | 2.4% |
| DH3 | 7,200 | 193 | 180 | 2.7% |
| DH7 | 25,669 | 191 | 97 | 0.7% |
| DL15 | 13,661 | 140 | 90 | 1.0% |
| DL2 | 2,911 | 89 | 30 | 3.1% |
| DL4 | 6,420 | 61 | 21 | 1.0% |
| DL12 | 11,753 | 58 | 38 | 0.5% |
| TS28 | 3,396 | 44 | 3 | 1.3% |
| DH6 | 21,062 | 37 | 24 | 0.2% |
| DH8 | 21,759 | 22 | 16 | 0.1% |
| DL5 | 16,070 | 21 | 12 | 0.1% |
| DH2 | 16,887 | 13 | 6 | 0.1% |
| DL16 | 12,677 | 12 | 8 | 0.1% |
| DH9 | 20,963 | 11 | 7 | 0.1% |
| DL17 | 11,370 | 10 | 8 | 0.1% |
| SR7 | 16,335 | 8 | 4 | 0.0% |
| TS27 | 5,267 | 4 | 4 | 0.1% |
| NE17 | 519 | 4 | 4 | 0.8% |
| NE39 | 309 | 4 | 3 | 1.3% |
| SR8 | 19,532 | 2 | 2 | 0.0% |
| DL11 | 308 | 2 | 1 | 0.6% |
| TS29 | 3,547 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| TS21 | 5,342 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| DH4 | 3,295 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NE16 | 2,985 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in County Durham
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 33 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in County Durham since 1900; the most recent started on 15 Feb 2020.
1900s 1 1920s 2 1960s 5 1970s 2 1990s 2 2000s 15 2010s 5 2020s 1
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Feb 2020 | Storm Dennis at Durham | Main river | Overtopping of defences | DH1 |
| 5 Dec 2015 | Durham Tidal | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | DH1 |
| 25 Sep 2012 | Durham Fluvial at approx | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | DH1 |
| 28 Jun 2012 | Chester-Le-Street upper | Other | Other | DH2 |
| 27 Apr 2012 | Ramshaw Vilage | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | DL14 |
| 26 Apr 2012 | Tindale Beck | Main river | Obstruction/blockage - culvert | DL14 |
| 19 Jul 2009 | Durham Fluvial floods | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | DH1 |
| 18 Jul 2009 | Stonebridge, Neville's Cross, Durham 11 outlines | Main river, drainage | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | DH1 DH2 DL14 DL15 DL16 |
| 17 Jul 2009 – 20 Jul 2009 | River Browney 3 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | DH7 DL15 |
| 6 Sep 2008 | Rookhope, County Durham 3 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | DH7 DH8 DL13 |
| 19 Aug 2008 | Shotley Bridge | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | DH8 |
| 18 Jul 2007 | MOON,OLD ELVET,DURHAM,NEAR 10 outlines | Sewer | Local drainage/surface water | DH1 DH2 DH6 DH9 DL14 DL16 |
| 17 Jul 2007 | AVENUE,WOODHOUSE CLOSE,BISHOP AUCKLAND 36 outlines | Sewer | Local drainage/surface water | DL14 SR8 TS27 |
| 30 Jun 2007 | Tow Law 6 outlines | Sewer | Local drainage/surface water | DH2 DH8 DH9 DL15 |
| 23 Jun 2007 | Hamsterley | Sewer | Local drainage/surface water | DL15 |
| 8 Jan 2005 | Witton-le-Wear 35 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | DL13 DL14 DL15 |
| 20 Aug 2004 | Gaunless Terrace 13 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | DH1 DL14 DL4 |
| 22 Nov 2000 | Woodham Burn | Ordinary watercourse | Not recorded | DL5 |
| 6 Nov 2000 – 7 Nov 2000 | Durham 5 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | DH1 DH2 DH9 DL15 |
| 4 Jun 2000 | Butterknowle 5 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Not recorded | DL14 |
| 3 Jun 2000 – 4 Jun 2000 | Oakley Cross Beck 2 outlines | Ordinary watercourse, main river | Not recorded | DL14 |
| 31 Jan 1995 – 1 Feb 1995 | River Wear | Main river | Not recorded | DL13 |
| 28 Jan 1995 – 4 Feb 1995 | — 3 outlines | Not recorded | Overtopping of defences | DL12 |
| 27 Dec 1978 | Durham | Main river | Not recorded | DH1 |
| 7 Jan 1971 | Bishop Auckland 2 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | DL14 |
| 5 Nov 1968 – 6 Nov 1968 | Durham | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | DH1 |
| 24 Mar 1968 | Durham 6 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | DH1 DH2 DL14 DL15 DL16 |
| 1 Mar 1968 – 31 Mar 1968 | Bradbury 12 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | DH2 DL14 DL15 DL17 DL5 |
| 1 Jan 1968 – 31 Dec 1968 | Witton Gilbert | Main river | Not recorded | DH7 |
| 1 Jan 1963 – 31 Dec 1963 | West Auckland 7 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | DH2 DH7 DL14 DL16 DL17 TS29 |
| 1 Jun 1924 | Houghall Farm 2 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | DH1 |
| 1 Jan 1924 – 31 Dec 1924 | South Church | Main river | Not recorded | DL14 |
| 1 Jan 1900 – 31 Dec 1978 | Willington 26 outlines | Main river, drainage | Overtopping of defences | DH1 DH7 DH9 DL13 DL14 DL15 DL16 DL17 |
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.
"County Durham" means the local authority area (ONS code E06000047), not only the town centre.
If you live in County Durham
- 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 County Durham at risk of flooding?
In County Durham, 2,006 of 313,219 properties (0.6%) 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 104th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of County Durham have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district DH1 has the most: 405 properties at high or medium risk (1.5% of its properties in County Durham). The table on this page lists every district.
When did County Durham last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 33 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in County Durham since 1900; the most recent started on 15 Feb 2020.
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.