Rochdale Flood Risk
In Rochdale, 1,407 of 112,580 properties (1.2%) 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 138th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in Rochdale 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 | 877 | 543 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 530 | 377 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 2,365 | 1,700 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 241 | 194 |
920 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 393 are non-residential. 205 postcodes in Rochdale have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across Rochdale
Counts are for the part of each district inside Rochdale.
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in Rochdale
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 24 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Rochdale since 1980; the most recent started on 5 Dec 2024.
1980s 1 1990s 4 2000s 12 2010s 6 2020s 1
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Dec 2024 | Daniel Street Storm Darragh | Main river | Overtopping of defences | OL12 |
| 28 Jul 2019 – 31 Jul 2019 | LITTLEBOROUGH 4 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OL11 OL12 OL15 |
| 16 Mar 2019 | Hey Street 18 outlines | Drainage, ordinary watercourse | Local drainage/surface water | OL11 OL15 OL16 |
| 21 Nov 2016 | Culvert Street, Rochdale 4 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OL12 OL15 OL16 |
| 26 Dec 2015 | Middleton 12 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | M24 OL11 OL15 OL16 |
| 29 Jul 2013 | JohnStreetPlayingField 3 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OL12 |
| 6 Jul 2012 | Roch Greenvale Business Park | Main river | Overtopping of defences | OL15 |
| 18 Nov 2009 – 19 Nov 2009 | River Roch Foam | Main river | Operational failure/breach of defence | OL15 |
| 21 Jan 2008 – 22 Jan 2008 | River Roch Firgrove 15 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | M24 OL11 OL12 OL15 OL16 |
| 10 Jan 2008 – 11 Jan 2008 | River Roch Foam | Main river | Operational failure/breach of defence | OL15 |
| 4 Feb 2004 – 5 Feb 2004 | RiverSpodden | Not recorded | Not recorded | OL12 |
| 17 Jul 2003 | River Roch EborStreetMotors | Main river | Operational failure/breach of defence | OL15 |
| 1 Aug 2002 – 2 Aug 2002 | MayfieldMill 2 outlines | Main river, drainage | Obstruction/blockage - channel | OL12 OL16 |
| 30 Jul 2002 – 31 Jul 2002 | River Irk Middleton, Gt Man | Main river | Local drainage/surface water | M24 |
| 14 Jun 2002 – 15 Jun 2002 | — 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OL15 |
| 8 Feb 2002 – 9 Feb 2002 | — 6 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OL12 OL15 OL16 |
| 15 Jun 2001 – 16 Jun 2001 | — 2 outlines | Not recorded | Other | OL11 OL12 |
| 11 Feb 2001 – 12 Feb 2001 | — | Not recorded | Other | OL16 |
| 1 Jun 2000 – 2 Jun 2000 | — 7 outlines | Main river | Other | OL12 OL15 OL16 |
| 23 Oct 1998 – 24 Oct 1998 | — 6 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OL12 OL15 OL16 |
| 6 Mar 1998 – 7 Mar 1998 | — | Not recorded | Obstruction/blockage - channel | OL15 |
| 28 Jan 1995 – 29 Jan 1995 | — 15 outlines | Not recorded | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OL11 OL12 OL15 OL16 |
| 21 Dec 1991 – 5 Jan 1992 | — 22 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OL11 OL12 OL15 OL16 |
| 23 Oct 1980 – 24 Oct 1980 | — 5 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OL11 OL15 OL16 |
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.
"Rochdale" means the local authority area (ONS code E08000005), not only the town centre.
If you live in Rochdale
- 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 Rochdale at risk of flooding?
In Rochdale, 1,407 of 112,580 properties (1.2%) 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 138th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of Rochdale have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district OL16 has the most: 622 properties at high or medium risk (3.2% of its properties in Rochdale). The table on this page lists every district.
When did Rochdale last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 24 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Rochdale since 1980; the most recent started on 5 Dec 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.