South Hams Flood Risk
In South Hams, 3,527 of 70,177 properties (5.0%) 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 51st of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in South Hams 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 | 2,470 | 1,257 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 1,057 | 576 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 1,023 | 580 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 24 | 15 |
1,833 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 1,313 are non-residential. 520 postcodes in South Hams have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across South Hams
Counts are for the part of each district inside South Hams.
| District | Properties | High + medium | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TQ9 | 14,874 | 1,101 | 520 | 7.4% |
| TQ6 | 7,660 | 1,006 | 756 | 13.1% |
| TQ7 | 15,353 | 659 | 581 | 4.3% |
| TQ8 | 2,706 | 259 | 229 | 9.6% |
| PL21 | 11,808 | 255 | 179 | 2.2% |
| PL8 | 4,253 | 83 | 63 | 2.0% |
| TQ10 | 3,136 | 40 | 37 | 1.3% |
| TQ5 | 525 | 34 | 30 | 6.5% |
| TQ11 | 737 | 31 | 24 | 4.2% |
| PL9 | 3,064 | 26 | 25 | 0.8% |
| PL7 | 1,980 | 16 | 13 | 0.8% |
| PL6 | 2,338 | 12 | 9 | 0.5% |
| TQ3 | 1,279 | 3 | 3 | 0.2% |
| TQ13 | 445 | 1 | 0 | 0.2% |
| PL5 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 5.3% |
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in South Hams
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 31 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in South Hams since 1954; the most recent started on 12 Mar 2024.
1950s 1 1960s 2 1970s 4 1980s 1 1990s 1 2000s 8 2010s 10 2020s 4
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Mar 2024 | Newton Ferrers | Sea | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL8 |
| 2 Nov 2023 | Yealmpton | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL8 |
| 19 Dec 2022 | River Yealm | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL8 |
| 16 Jan 2020 | Noss Mayo | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL8 |
| 2 Mar 2018 | Hallsands Storm Emma 3 outlines | Sea | Other | TQ8 |
| 2 Aug 2017 | Yealmpton | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL8 |
| 5 Feb 2014 – 14 Feb 2014 | South Sands Flood Outline 5 outlines | Sea | Overtopping of defences | PL8 TQ8 |
| 4 Feb 2014 – 14 Feb 2014 | Challaborough Flood Outline 3 outlines | Sea | Overtopping of defences | TQ7 TQ8 |
| 3 Jan 2014 – 14 Feb 2014 | Beesands Flood Outline | Sea | Overtopping of defences | TQ8 |
| 22 Dec 2012 | Yealmpton 5 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL8 |
| 25 Nov 2012 | Yealmpton 3 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL8 |
| 21 Nov 2012 – 24 Nov 2012 | Aveton Gifford Flood | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | TQ7 |
| 6 Oct 2012 | Totnes Malt Mill Lake Flood | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | TQ9 |
| 7 Jul 2012 | Aveton Gifford Flood 10 outlines | Main river, ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL21 PL8 TQ7 |
| 15 Jan 2008 | Yealmpton and Yealmbridge | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL8 |
| 8 Dec 2007 | Yealmpton | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL8 |
| 27 Oct 2004 | Totnes Tidal Flood 7 outlines | Sea, main river | Overtopping of defences | TQ6 TQ8 TQ9 |
| 24 Oct 2004 | Totnes | Main river | Overtopping of defences | TQ9 |
| 22 Jun 2004 | Lake Street Watercourse: Dartmouth 2 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | TQ6 TQ7 |
| 1 Jan 2003 | Puslinch | Main river | Not recorded | PL8 |
| 10 Jan 2001 | Cornwood | Ordinary watercourse | Not recorded | PL21 |
| 31 Dec 2000 | Yealmbridge | Main river | Overtopping of defences | PL8 |
| 23 Jun 1991 | Cornwood 2 outlines | Main river | Not recorded | PL21 PL8 |
| 13 Dec 1981 | — | Main river | Overtopping of defences | TQ9 |
| 27 Dec 1979 | River Avon 7 outlines | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | TQ10 TQ7 |
| 1 Jan 1979 – 31 Dec 1979 | River Avon 8 outlines | Ordinary watercourse, main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL21 TQ10 TQ7 |
| 11 Feb 1974 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | TQ9 |
| 12 Sep 1970 | South Devon 11 outlines | Ordinary watercourse | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | TQ7 TQ8 |
| 11 Sep 1968 | — | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL21 |
| 1 Jul 1968 | Yealmpton | Main river | Not recorded | PL8 |
| 26 Nov 1954 – 27 Nov 1954 | Yealmpton | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | PL8 |
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.
"South Hams" means the local authority area (ONS code E07000044), not only the town centre.
If you live in South Hams
- 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 South Hams at risk of flooding?
In South Hams, 3,527 of 70,177 properties (5.0%) 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 51st of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of South Hams have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district TQ9 has the most: 1,101 properties at high or medium risk (7.4% of its properties in South Hams). The table on this page lists every district.
When did South Hams last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 31 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in South Hams since 1954; the most recent started on 12 Mar 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.