North Somerset Flood Risk
In North Somerset, 3,131 of 124,721 properties (2.5%) 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 63rd of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in North Somerset 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 | 871 | 547 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 2,260 | 1,660 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 4,907 | 3,826 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 42,922 | 37,200 |
2,207 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 620 are non-residential. 343 postcodes in North Somerset have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across North Somerset
Counts are for the part of each district inside North Somerset.
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in North Somerset
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 19 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in North Somerset since 1936; the most recent started on 1 Dec 2017.
1930s 1 1960s 1 1970s 2 1980s 1 1990s 1 2000s 4 2010s 9
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Dec 2017 | This represents flooding in the area in | Ordinary watercourse | Obstruction/blockage - culvert | BS25 |
| 21 Nov 2016 – 22 Nov 2016 | Flowerdown Park | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | BS24 |
| 25 Nov 2012 | Portbury 3 outlines | Ordinary watercourse, main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BS20 BS41 |
| 24 Nov 2012 | Hutton 2 outlines | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | BS24 |
| 23 Nov 2012 | Winford | Not recorded | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BS40 |
| 22 Nov 2012 | Winscombe | Drainage | Obstruction/blockage - culvert | BS25 |
| 21 Nov 2012 – 26 Nov 2012 | Wrington 25 outlines | Ordinary watercourse, drainage | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BS20 BS22 BS25 BS40 BS48 BS49 |
| 24 Sep 2012 – 25 Sep 2012 | Lower Langford 3 outlines | Ordinary watercourse, main river | Local drainage/surface water | BS25 BS49 |
| 30 Apr 2012 – 2 May 2012 | Blagdon 2 outlines | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | BS40 |
| 15 Jan 2008 – 16 Jan 2008 | Winford Bk Chew magna Reservoir 3 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BS40 BS41 |
| 11 Jan 2008 – 12 Jan 2008 | Wrington BeamBridge 2 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BS49 |
| 18 Jul 2007 | Weston Super Mare Worle 2 outlines | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | BS21 BS22 |
| 21 Jun 2007 | Portishead | Sewer | Local drainage/surface water | BS20 |
| 26 Feb 1990 – 28 Feb 1990 | PortburyDitch Portishead | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BS20 |
| 13 Dec 1981 – 15 Dec 1981 | Coastal Weston 9 outlines | Sea | Overtopping of defences | BS20 BS21 BS22 BS23 |
| 18 Aug 1977 – 19 Aug 1977 | Uphill Great Rhyne Wharf Farm | Main river | Mechanical failure | BS23 |
| 2 Jan 1976 – 3 Jan 1976 | Coastal KingstonSeymour 2 outlines | Sea | Overtopping of defences | BS21 BS22 |
| 10 Jul 1968 – 11 Jul 1968 | Chew Stoke Stream Chew Stoke 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | BS40 BS49 |
| 9 Jan 1936 | Coastal Weston super Mare | Sea | Overtopping of defences | BS23 |
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 Somerset" means the local authority area (ONS code E06000024), not only the town centre.
If you live in North Somerset
- 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 Somerset at risk of flooding?
In North Somerset, 3,131 of 124,721 properties (2.5%) 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 63rd of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of North Somerset have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district BS23 has the most: 1,800 properties at high or medium risk (8.0% of its properties in North Somerset). The table on this page lists every district.
When did North Somerset last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 19 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in North Somerset since 1936; the most recent started on 1 Dec 2017.
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.