West Lancashire Flood Risk
In West Lancashire, 602 of 69,888 properties (0.9%) 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 217th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
By bandProperties in West Lancashire 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 | 337 | 202 |
| Medium | between 1% and 3.3% (1 in 100 to 1 in 30) chance in any year | 265 | 139 |
| Low | between 0.1% and 1% (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100) chance in any year | 1,560 | 1,204 |
| Very low | less than 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance in any year | 3,372 | 2,630 |
341 of the high- or medium-risk properties are homes and 130 are non-residential. 103 postcodes in West Lancashire have at least one property at high or medium risk.
Postcode districtsFlood risk across West Lancashire
Counts are for the part of each district inside West Lancashire.
Recorded floodsPast floods mapped in West Lancashire
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 12 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in West Lancashire since 2004; the most recent started on 31 Dec 2024.
2000s 1 2010s 7 2020s 4
| Started | Place / name in the record | Source of flooding | Cause | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2024 – 1 Jan 2025 | — 4 outlines | Drainage, ordinary watercourse | Local drainage/surface water | L39 WN8 |
| 23 Jul 2023 – 24 Jul 2023 | — 2 outlines | Drainage, main river | Local drainage/surface water | WN8 |
| 6 Oct 2020 – 7 Oct 2020 | Back Lane East 3 outlines | Not recorded | Not recorded | L40 |
| 9 Feb 2020 – 10 Feb 2020 | Course Lane 2 outlines | Not recorded | Not recorded | L39 WN8 |
| 7 Nov 2019 | RAINFORD | Other | Local drainage/surface water | WN8 |
| 22 Aug 2016 – 23 Aug 2016 | — 2 outlines | Main river | Operational failure/breach of defence | L40 |
| 16 Jun 2016 – 17 Jun 2016 | — 35 outlines | Not recorded | Not recorded | WN8 |
| 26 Dec 2015 – 27 Dec 2015 | Parbold 81 outlines | Main river, drainage | Local drainage/surface water | L39 L40 WN8 |
| 22 Jun 2012 – 23 Jun 2012 | Parbold 2 outlines | Sewer, ordinary watercourse | Other | L40 WN8 |
| 6 Feb 2011 – 7 Feb 2011 | Ormskirk at Fiveways | Main river | Obstruction/blockage - debris screen | L39 |
| 20 Jul 2010 | Birch Green 5 outlines | Other | Local drainage/surface water | L39 L40 WN8 |
| 10 Aug 2004 – 11 Aug 2004 | Flooding at Pine Avenue, Ormskirk | Not recorded | Other | L39 |
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.
"West Lancashire" means the local authority area (ONS code E07000127), not only the town centre.
If you live in West Lancashire
- 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 West Lancashire at risk of flooding?
In West Lancashire, 602 of 69,888 properties (0.9%) 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 217th of 296 local authorities in England by number.
Which parts of West Lancashire have the most properties at flood risk?
Postcode district WN8 has the most: 145 properties at high or medium risk (0.5% of its properties in West Lancashire). The table on this page lists every district.
When did West Lancashire last flood?
The Environment Agency has mapped flood outlines on 12 dates in postcode districts that mostly lie in West Lancashire since 2004; the most recent started on 31 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.