North Devon Flood Risk
In North Devon, 3,706 of 79,128 properties (4.7%) 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 44th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in North Devon 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 | 2,114 | 1,368 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 1,592 | 1,168 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 2,897 | 1,885 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 400 | 300 |
2,536 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 875 are non-residential. 477 postcodes in North Devon have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across North Devon
Counts are for the part of each district inside North Devon.
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in North Devon
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 18 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in North Devon since 1960; the most recent started on 3 Jan 2014.
1960s 8 1970s 3 1980s 4 2000s 1 2010s 2
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Jan 2014 – 4 Jan 2014 | Ilfracombe Tidal Flood 2 outlines | Sea | Overtopping of defences | EX34 EX35 |
| 22 Dec 2012 | Bishops Tawton Flood 6 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX32 EX33 EX35 EX36 EX37 |
| 30 Oct 2000 – 1 Nov 2000 | Event Bradiford 8 outlines | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX18 EX31 EX35 EX36 |
| 15 Jul 1982 | — | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX18 |
| 14 Jul 1982 | — | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX37 |
| 12 Jul 1982 | — 5 outlines | Ordinary watercourse, main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX18 EX36 EX37 |
| 9 Mar 1981 | Barnstaple 7 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX31 EX32 |
| 27 Dec 1979 | River Caen: Braunton 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX33 |
| 1 Dec 1979 – 31 Dec 1979 | River Taw: Chapelton to Barnstaple 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX32 EX37 |
| 2 Nov 1970 | River Mole 12 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX18 EX31 EX32 EX36 EX37 |
| 23 Jan 1968 | Coney Gut 5 outlines | Main river | Operational failure/breach of defence | EX31 EX32 |
| 9 Jan 1968 | — 59 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX18 EX31 EX32 EX36 EX37 |
| 1 Jan 1968 | — | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX31 |
| 4 Nov 1967 | — | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX37 |
| 18 Dec 1965 – 19 Dec 1965 | River Taw 45 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX18 EX31 EX32 EX36 EX37 |
| 1 Dec 1965 – 31 Dec 1965 | Exe Event 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX35 |
| 4 Dec 1960 | Barnstaple Yeo 5 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX31 EX34 |
| 1 Jan 1960 – 31 Dec 1960 | River Mole: South Molton 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | EX18 EX36 |
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.
"North Devon" means the local authority area (ONS code E07000043), not only the town centre.
If you live in North Devon
- 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 North Devon at risk of flooding?
In North Devon, 3,706 of 79,128 properties (4.7%) 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 44th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of North Devon have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district EX34 has the most: 1,028 properties at high or medium risk (6.8% of its properties in North Devon). The table on this page lists every district.
When did North Devon last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 18 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in North Devon since 1960; the most recent started on 3 Jan 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.