Lancaster Flood Risk
In Lancaster, 3,672 of 89,595 properties (4.1%) 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 46th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in Lancaster 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 | 1,946 | 967 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 1,726 | 1,295 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 5,214 | 4,117 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 8,002 | 6,282 |
2,262 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 860 are non-residential. 327 postcodes in Lancaster have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across Lancaster
Counts are for the part of each district inside Lancaster.
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in Lancaster
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 27 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Lancaster since 1967; the most recent started on 9 Apr 2024.
1960s 1 1970s 2 1980s 1 1990s 3 2000s 6 2010s 10 2020s 4
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Apr 2024 – 10 Apr 2024 | — | Sea | Other | LA1 |
| 10 Aug 2020 – 11 Aug 2020 | Lentworth Drive | Main river | Not recorded | LA1 |
| 4 Aug 2020 – 5 Aug 2020 | Lentworth Drive | Main river | Obstruction/blockage - bridge | LA1 |
| 9 Feb 2020 – 10 Feb 2020 | Lansil Way 3 outlines | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | LA1 |
| 22 Nov 2017 – 24 Nov 2017 | Main Street 84 outlines | Main river, drainage | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | LA1 LA2 LA3 LA4 LA5 |
| 19 Jul 2017 – 20 Jul 2017 | — 5 outlines | Other | Local drainage/surface water | LA1 |
| 22 Aug 2016 – 23 Aug 2016 | — 5 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | LA1 LA2 LA5 |
| 5 Dec 2015 – 6 Dec 2015 | Lancaster 76 outlines | Main river, drainage | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | LA1 LA2 LA3 LA4 LA5 |
| 5 Dec 2013 – 6 Dec 2013 | Tidal Event 2 outlines | Drainage, sea | Local drainage/surface water | LA1 LA4 |
| 6 Sep 2011 – 7 Sep 2011 | North of Bowerham 8 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Not recorded | LA1 |
| 8 Nov 2010 | Vicarage Gardens Surface Water Flooding | Other | Local drainage/surface water | LA2 |
| 2 Nov 2010 | Middleton Road | Other | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | LA3 |
| 14 Jul 2010 | Surface Water flooding | Other | Local drainage/surface water | LA3 |
| 1 Jun 2010 | Non main river flooding | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | LA3 |
| 26 Oct 2008 – 27 Oct 2008 | Flooding at Carnforth | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | LA5 |
| 10 Jul 2008 – 11 Jul 2008 | Non Main River Flooding | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | LA3 |
| 21 Jan 2008 – 22 Jan 2008 | Non-Main River flooding at Middleton 2 outlines | Ordinary watercourse, other | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | LA3 LA5 |
| 20 Aug 2004 – 21 Aug 2004 | Flooding at Galgate | Not recorded | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | LA1 |
| 1 Feb 2002 – 2 Feb 2002 | — 4 outlines | Other | Overtopping of defences | LA1 LA3 LA4 |
| 12 Jan 2000 – 13 Jan 2000 | — | Main river | Local drainage/surface water | LA1 |
| 27 Oct 1998 – 28 Oct 1998 | — | Main river | Other | LA1 |
| 31 Jan 1995 – 1 Feb 1995 | — 2 outlines | Other, main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | LA1 LA2 |
| 26 Feb 1990 – 27 Feb 1990 | — | Other | Overtopping of defences | LA3 |
| 1 Feb 1983 – 2 Feb 1983 | — | Other | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | LA1 |
| 11 Nov 1977 – 12 Nov 1977 | Tidal Flooding Affecting Morecambe | Sea | Overtopping of defences | LA3 |
| 1 Nov 1977 – 2 Nov 1977 | — | Other | Overtopping of defences | LA3 |
| 8 Aug 1967 – 9 Aug 1967 | Wray | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | LA2 |
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.
"Lancaster" means the local authority area (ONS code E07000121), not only the town centre.
If you live in Lancaster
- 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 Lancaster at risk of flooding?
In Lancaster, 3,672 of 89,595 properties (4.1%) 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 46th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of Lancaster have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district LA1 has the most: 1,026 properties at high or medium risk (3.5% of its properties in Lancaster). The table on this page lists every district.
When did Lancaster last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 27 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Lancaster since 1967; the most recent started on 9 Apr 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.