Vale of White Horse Flood Risk
In Vale of White Horse, 1,616 of 79,842 properties (2.0%) 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 127th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in Vale of White Horse 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 | 1,014 | 764 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 602 | 503 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 2,461 | 2,101 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 129 | 118 |
1,267 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 204 are non-residential. 273 postcodes in Vale of White Horse have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across Vale of White Horse
Counts are for the part of each district inside Vale of White Horse.
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in Vale of White Horse
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 15 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Vale of White Horse since 1947; the most recent started on 1 Apr 2014.
1940s 1 1970s 2 1990s 2 2000s 4 2010s 6
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr 2014 | — | Main river | Not recorded | OX12 |
| 1 Feb 2014 | — | Main river | Not recorded | OX12 |
| 1 Dec 2013 | — | Main river | Not recorded | OX12 |
| 23 Nov 2013 – 28 Feb 2014 | — | Other | Other | OX14 |
| 1 Nov 2012 | — | Main river | Not recorded | OX12 |
| 1 Apr 2012 | — | Main river | Not recorded | OX12 |
| 12 Jan 2008 – 20 Jan 2008 | Abingdon Fluvial Water 22 outlines | Main river, drainage | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OX13 OX14 SN7 |
| 19 Jul 2007 – 29 Jul 2007 | Abingdon Fluvial Water 644 outlines | Main river, drainage | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OX12 OX13 OX14 SN7 |
| 23 Dec 2002 – 12 Jan 2003 | — 147 outlines | Other, main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OX12 OX13 OX14 |
| 1 Jan 2000 – 12 Dec 2000 | — 196 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OX13 OX14 |
| 1 Jan 1993 – 12 Dec 1993 | — 8 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OX12 OX13 OX14 |
| 1 Jan 1992 – 12 Dec 1992 | — 60 outlines | Main river, other | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OX12 OX13 OX14 SN7 |
| 1 Jan 1979 – 12 Dec 1979 | — 295 outlines | Other, main river | Local drainage/surface water | OX12 OX13 OX14 |
| 1 Jan 1977 – 12 Dec 1977 | — 115 outlines | Other, main river | Local drainage/surface water | OX13 OX14 SN7 |
| 1 Jan 1947 – 12 Dec 1947 | — 10 outlines | Main river | Channel capacity exceeded (no raised defences) | OX13 OX14 SN7 |
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.
"Vale of White Horse" means the local authority area (ONS code E07000180), not only the town centre.
If you live in Vale of White Horse
- 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 Vale of White Horse at risk of flooding?
In Vale of White Horse, 1,616 of 79,842 properties (2.0%) 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 127th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of Vale of White Horse have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district OX14 has the most: 883 properties at high or medium risk (3.7% of its properties in Vale of White Horse). The table on this page lists every district.
When did Vale of White Horse last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 15 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in Vale of White Horse since 1947; the most recent started on 1 Apr 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.