Plymouth Flood Risk
In Plymouth, 1,515 of 141,527 properties (1.1%) 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 130th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in Plymouth 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 | 1,075 | 771 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 440 | 296 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 776 | 522 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 1,035 | 790 |
1,067 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 346 are non-residential. 190 postcodes in Plymouth have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across Plymouth
Counts are for the part of each district inside Plymouth.
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in Plymouth
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 54 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Plymouth since 1900; the most recent started on 9 Dec 2025.
1900s 1 1940s 1 1950s 1 1970s 1 1980s 2 1990s 8 2000s 10 2010s 20 2020s 10
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Dec 2025 | Plymouth | Drainage | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL7 |
| 9 Sep 2025 | Saltash Tamar Estuary | Sea | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL5 |
| 28 Aug 2025 – 29 Aug 2025 | Longbrook, Plymouth | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL7 |
| 2 Nov 2023 | Plympton | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL7 |
| 15 Nov 2022 | River Plym and Meavy 3 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL6 PL7 |
| 4 Jul 2021 | Plympton 2 outlines | Other, main river | Local drainage/surface water | PL7 |
| 1 Jul 2021 | Plympton | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL7 |
| 27 Aug 2020 | Plymouth | Not recorded | Not recorded | PL4 |
| 14 Aug 2020 | Plympton | Main river | Overtopping of defences | PL7 |
| 14 Jan 2020 | Plymouth | Sea | Overtopping of defences | PL1 |
| 26 Nov 2019 – 27 Nov 2019 | Plymouth | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | PL4 |
| 30 Sep 2019 | Plymouth 2 outlines | Drainage, main river | Local drainage/surface water | PL1 PL5 |
| 8 Nov 2018 | Plymouth | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | PL2 |
| 24 Oct 2016 | Plymouth | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | PL9 |
| 14 Feb 2014 | Plymouth | Sea | Overtopping of defences | PL3 |
| 5 Feb 2014 | Plymouth West Hoe 2 outlines | Sea | Overtopping of defences | PL1 |
| 4 Feb 2014 – 14 Feb 2014 | Wembury Flood Outline | Sea | Overtopping of defences | PL9 |
| 3 Feb 2014 | Plymouth 4 outlines | Sea | Overtopping of defences | PL4 PL5 PL7 |
| 2 Feb 2014 | Saltash | Sea | Overtopping of defences | PL5 |
| 4 Jan 2014 | Devonport | Sea | Overtopping of defences | PL2 |
| 3 Jan 2014 – 6 Jan 2014 | Cremyll | Sea | Overtopping of defences | PL1 |
| 25 Jul 2013 | Plymouth Stoke | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | PL1 |
| 22 Dec 2012 | Plympton Stoggy Lane 5 outlines | Ordinary watercourse, main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL7 |
| 14 Dec 2012 | Plymouth Barbican | Other | Local drainage/surface water | PL4 |
| 24 Nov 2012 – 25 Nov 2012 | Plymouth Newham 4 outlines | Ordinary watercourse, other | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL4 PL6 PL7 |
| 22 Nov 2012 | Plymouth Sutton Road. | Other | Local drainage/surface water | PL4 |
| 21 Nov 2012 | Plymtpon Longbrook St. 2 outlines | Other, main river | Local drainage/surface water | PL5 PL7 |
| 17 Oct 2012 | Plympton 2 outlines | Sea | Other | PL2 PL7 |
| 3 Jan 2012 | Plymouth, Raleigh Street 5 outlines | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | PL1 PL2 PL4 PL5 |
| 2 Mar 2010 | Saltash | Sea | Overtopping of defences | PL5 |
| 9 Feb 2009 – 10 Feb 2009 | Plymbridge | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL7 |
| 10 Mar 2008 | Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse 2 outlines | Sea | Other | PL1 PL5 |
| 31 Mar 2006 | Saltash | Sea | Other | PL5 |
| 30 Mar 2006 | Saltash | Sea | Overtopping of defences | PL5 |
| 24 Jun 2005 | Leigham Mill Plymouth | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL3 |
| 27 Oct 2004 | Plymouth, Stonehouse 2 outlines | Sea | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL1 PL5 |
| 12 Aug 2004 | Plympton 2 outlines | Drainage | Local drainage/surface water | PL4 PL7 |
| 5 Nov 2002 | Saltash | Sea | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL5 |
| 31 Dec 2000 | Leigham, Plymouth | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL6 |
| 5 Nov 2000 | Plympton | Main river | Not recorded | PL7 |
Showing the 40 most recent of 54 dates.
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.
"Plymouth" means the local authority area (ONS code E06000026), not only the town centre.
If you live in Plymouth
- 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 Plymouth at risk of flooding?
In Plymouth, 1,515 of 141,527 properties (1.1%) 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 130th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of Plymouth have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district PL1 has the most: 564 properties at high or medium risk (2.8% of its properties in Plymouth). The table on this page lists every district.
When did Plymouth last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 54 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Plymouth since 1900; the most recent started on 9 Dec 2025.
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.