New Forest Flood Risk
In New Forest, 2,396 of 105,996 properties (2.3%) 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 92nd of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in New Forest 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 | 1,757 | 1,220 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 639 | 405 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 2,469 | 1,905 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 714 | 561 |
1,625 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 445 are non-residential. 386 postcodes in New Forest have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across New Forest
Counts are for the part of each district inside New Forest.
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in New Forest
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 27 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in New Forest since 1900; the most recent started on 14 Feb 2014.
1900s 1 1950s 1 1960s 1 1970s 1 1980s 3 1990s 6 2000s 7 2010s 7
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Feb 2014 | This represents flooding in the area in 5 outlines | Main river, drainage | Local drainage/surface water | BH24 SO45 SP6 |
| 9 Jan 2014 – 27 Feb 2014 | Flood Extents to | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | SP6 |
| 8 Jan 2014 | Fordingbridge to | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | SP6 |
| 3 Jan 2014 | Bickton, Fordingbridge to | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | SP6 |
| 2 Jan 2014 | North Gorley to 4 outlines | Ordinary watercourse, main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | SP6 |
| 27 Dec 2013 – 2 Jan 2014 | North Gorley to | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | SP6 |
| 24 Dec 2013 | Fordingbridge to | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | SP6 |
| 10 Mar 2008 | Prospect Place 4 outlines | Sea | Other | SO40 SO45 |
| 1 Jan 2003 | This represents flooding in the area in | Not recorded | Not recorded | BH24 |
| 23 Feb 2001 | Cadnam River Cadnam 4 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | SO43 |
| 1 Dec 2000 | Bartley Water Netley Marsh 7 outlines | Not recorded | Not recorded | SO40 SO43 |
| 6 Nov 2000 – 7 Nov 2000 | Calmore Canal Calmore 6 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | BH25 SO40 SO41 |
| 1 Nov 2000 | Avon Water Sway 16 outlines | Not recorded | Not recorded | SO40 SO41 SO42 SO43 SO45 |
| 30 Oct 2000 | Bartley Water Hounsdown 9 outlines | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | SO40 SO43 |
| 24 Dec 1999 – 25 Dec 1999 | Bartley Water Eling 6 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Not recorded | SO40 SO41 SO43 SO45 |
| 14 Mar 1996 | This represents flooding in the area in | Not recorded | Not recorded | BH24 |
| 26 Nov 1995 | Beaulieu River Lyndhurst 5 outlines | Ordinary watercourse | Not recorded | SO43 |
| 1 Nov 1994 | Bartley Water Bartley 2 outlines | Ordinary watercourse | Not recorded | SO43 |
| 30 Dec 1993 | Becton Bunny Barton-on-Sea 8 outlines | Ordinary watercourse, ephemeral watercourse | Not recorded | BH25 SO41 |
| 1 Feb 1990 | Lymington River Brockenhurst 2 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | SO42 |
| 14 Dec 1989 | Coast Lymington/Keyhaven 3 outlines | Other | Not recorded | SO41 |
| 1 Nov 1982 | Danes Stream Milford 2 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | SO41 |
| 17 Mar 1982 – 19 Mar 1982 | Avon 88 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH24 SP6 |
| 1 Mar 1979 | This represents flooding in the area in 5 outlines | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | BH24 |
| 22 Oct 1966 | River Lymington Brockenhurst | Main river | Not recorded | SO42 |
| 23 Jan 1959 – 24 Jan 1959 | Avon & Frome 15 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BH24 SP6 |
| 1 Jan 1900 – 1 Jan 1974 | General Lymington River | Main river | Not recorded | SO42 |
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.
"New Forest" means the local authority area (ONS code E07000091), not only the town centre.
If you live in New Forest
- 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 New Forest at risk of flooding?
In New Forest, 2,396 of 105,996 properties (2.3%) 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 92nd of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of New Forest have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district SO40 has the most: 768 properties at high or medium risk (3.6% of its properties in New Forest). The table on this page lists every district.
When did New Forest last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 27 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in New Forest since 1900; the most recent started on 14 Feb 2014.
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.