Forest of Dean Flood Risk
In Forest of Dean, 1,265 of 56,438 properties (2.2%) 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 149th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in Forest of Dean 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 | 884 | 505 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 381 | 266 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 685 | 413 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 189 | 93 |
771 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 322 are non-residential. 237 postcodes in Forest of Dean have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across Forest of Dean
Counts are for the part of each district inside Forest of Dean.
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in Forest of Dean
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 26 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Forest of Dean since 1947; the most recent started on 20 Jul 2007.
1940s 3 1960s 1 1970s 1 1980s 5 1990s 10 2000s 6
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 2007 – 31 Jul 2007 | River Severn | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | GL19 |
| 1 Dec 2002 | Ashleworth Quay | Main river | Not recorded | GL19 |
| 1 Jan 2001 | River Severn 9 outlines | Main river, drainage | Not recorded | GL14 GL18 GL19 |
| 5 Dec 2000 – 20 Dec 2000 | Tirley 13 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | GL19 |
| 1 Dec 2000 – 20 Dec 2000 | — 13 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | GL19 |
| 29 Oct 2000 – 12 Nov 2000 | Lydney 41 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | GL15 GL19 |
| 7 Apr 1998 – 13 Apr 1998 | Norton 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | GL19 |
| 1 Apr 1998 – 13 Apr 1998 | — 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | GL19 |
| 1 Feb 1995 – 21 Feb 1995 | Awre 4 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | GL14 |
| 1 Jan 1995 | Tirley | Main river | Not recorded | GL19 |
| 25 Dec 1994 | Ashleworth | Main river | Not recorded | GL19 |
| 16 Nov 1993 | River Chelt | Main river | Not recorded | GL19 |
| 29 Aug 1992 – 1 Sep 1992 | Rodley | Main river | Not recorded | GL14 |
| 1 Jan 1992 – 22 Jan 1992 | Westbury-on-Severn 4 outlines | Main river, drainage | Not recorded | GL14 GL15 |
| 26 Feb 1990 – 2 Mar 1990 | Rodley 2 outlines | Main river, drainage | Not recorded | GL14 |
| 1 Jan 1990 | Dymock 6 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | GL18 GL19 |
| 19 Dec 1989 – 28 Dec 1989 | Norton | Main river | Not recorded | GL19 |
| 1 Mar 1989 | Upper Framilode 2 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | GL14 |
| 1 Apr 1987 | Norton | Main river | Not recorded | GL19 |
| 1 Feb 1986 | Lower Apperley | Drainage | Not recorded | GL19 |
| 1 Dec 1981 | Chepstow 6 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | NP16 |
| 1 Mar 1978 | Ashleworth 2 outlines | Drainage | Not recorded | GL19 |
| 1 Jul 1968 | Lydney 42 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | GL14 GL15 GL17 GL18 GL19 |
| 1 Apr 1947 | Lady Park Wood 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | GL16 |
| 7 Mar 1947 – 4 Apr 1947 | River Severn | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | GL19 |
| 1 Mar 1947 | — 19 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | GL19 |
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.
"Forest of Dean" means the local authority area (ONS code E07000080), not only the town centre.
If you live in Forest of Dean
- 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 Forest of Dean at risk of flooding?
In Forest of Dean, 1,265 of 56,438 properties (2.2%) 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 149th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of Forest of Dean have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district GL15 has the most: 473 properties at high or medium risk (3.4% of its properties in Forest of Dean). The table on this page lists every district.
When did Forest of Dean last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 26 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Forest of Dean since 1947; the most recent started on 20 Jul 2007.
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.