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Leighton Buzzard, market crossPhoto: Mike Faherty · CC BY-SA 2.0
CHazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Leighton Buzzard · Environment Agency

In Leighton Buzzard, heavy rain puts more homes at risk than rivers or the sea: 6.8%, against 1.2%

On the Environment Agency’s maps, which allow for flood defences, “high or medium” means at least a 1 in 100 chance of flooding from rivers or the sea in any year. Leighton Buzzard’s Hazard risk Grade is C: #29 of 33 in Bedfordshire.

1947worst recorded flood20flood warnings since 20064.5%at low risk
In brief

What stands out about Leighton Buzzard’s hazards

From the Environment Agency’s maps and records and the BGS radon atlas, below.

Rain, more than the river6.8% of homes sit where heavy rain can flood the streets, against 1.2% at risk from rivers and the sea.Remembers 1947Floodwater covered 69 hectares of today’s Leighton Buzzard in 1947; 1,032 of today’s households live inside past flood outlines.The River Ouzel ran its highest in January 20211.68 m at Leighton Buzzard on 14 January 2021, 2 cm under the record set in 2020.20 flood warnings since 2006For the parts of Leighton Buzzard the Environment Agency warns directly; the most recent on 27 September 2024.
By hazard

What Leighton Buzzard faces

Each hazard against its own yardstick; meters run from low to high on that yardstick.

Rivers and the sea

1.2%of homes at high or medium risk
More than the typical UK town · more than 72% of towns
229 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

6.8%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 82% of UK towns
Rivers and sea: 1.2%

Past floods

6years with a recorded flood
Last recorded: 1998
1,032 households inside past outlines

The River Ouzel

0.24 mhighest in winter 2018–19 at Leighton Buzzard
24th-highest of 24 winters
Record 1.70 m, October 2020

Flood warnings

20flood warnings since 2006
16 flood alerts for the wider area
Last warning 27 September 2024

Radon

0%of the town in a radon Affected Area
Highest band here: Under 1% of homes
No square of 5% or more
Not on this page: coastal erosion, subsidence and shrink-swell ground (the British Geological Survey licenses it), groundwater flooding and reservoir failure.
Hazard risk Grade

Leighton Buzzard grades C for hazard risk

Flood risk from rivers and the sea, against all UK towns.

Homes at high or medium flood risk (1.2%)Fewer than 28% of UK towns

The share of homes at high or medium risk from rivers and the sea, ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more: fewer homes at risk is better. Towns with none at high or medium risk are ordered by their share at low risk, so they don’t all share one score. Surface water and radon aren’t graded: they are described below.

Flood map

Where the water goes in Leighton Buzzard

Turn layers on and off. Blue is the risk from rivers and the sea; pink is where heavy rain collects. Both allow for flood defences.

Recorded flood: 1947Recorded flood: 1950Recorded flood: 1980Recorded flood: 1992Recorded flood: 1993Recorded flood: 1998© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterLeighton Buzzard’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the Clipstone Brook and the River Ouzel. Surface-water risk is spread across the town, in dips, underpasses and along small streams, which is why more homes are exposed to it.

Rivers and the sea

1.2% of Leighton Buzzard’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 4.5% are at low risk.

High risk0.7%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more136 homes, EA count
Medium risk0.5%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 10093 homes, EA count
Low risk4.5%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000835 homes, EA count
Where Leighton Buzzard sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%
9%0.5–1%
11%1–2%Leighton Buzzard
11%2–5%
5%5–10%
3%10–20%
2%20% +

Share of each UK town’s homes at high or medium risk from rivers and the sea. 35% of UK towns have none; Leighton Buzzard has more than 72% of towns.

Towns its size: 113th of 169 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Smethwick West Midlands56,3430%
2Bootle Merseyside53,7220%
3Bloxwich West Midlands51,8910%
…
111Billingham County Durham33,9171.2%
112Hucknall Nottinghamshire35,8481.2%
113Leighton Buzzard Bedfordshire42,7361.2%
114Bedworth Warwickshire31,0831.2%
115Tipton West Midlands47,2021.3%
…
168Caversham Berkshire33,03813%
169Spalding Lincolnshire30,55284%

UK towns of 30,000 to 60,000 people.

The Environment Agency’s Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea (NaFRA2, June 2026) counts each postcode’s homes by band; the shares weight those postcodes by Census 2021 households. The EA counts include homes built since 2021.

Surface water

Heavy rain puts about 5.5 times as many Leighton Buzzard homes at risk as rivers and the sea do

Surface water is rain that falls faster than drains and the ground can take it. It is mapped separately from rivers and the sea, and it is not in the Hazard risk Grade.

Surface water6.8%
Rivers and the sea1.2%
0%10.5%21% of homes

About 4.2% of homes are at high risk of surface-water flooding (a 1 in 30 chance or more each year) and 2.6% at medium risk: roughly 1,220 households. A further 7.8% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 82% of UK towns.

~1,220
households at high or medium risk
7.8%
of homes at low risk
82%
of UK towns have a smaller share
21,557
addresses read on the map

Our estimate: every address in the town (ONS NSUL) read on the Environment Agency’s Risk of Flooding from Surface Water map (NaFRA2, 2025), each postcode’s share weighted by its Census 2021 households. Neither agency publishes a count of homes for surface water, so treat it as a guide; one street can differ from the next.

Flood history

Leighton Buzzard has flooded in 6 recorded years since 1947, most of all in 1947

Every flood the Environment Agency has mapped inside Leighton Buzzard’s built-up area, newest first. The record is fullest for big river floods; small and surface-water floods are often missing.

  1. 19981998: River flooding recorded1 hectare inside today’s built-up area
  2. 19931993: River flooding recorded5 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  3. 1992September 1992: River flooding recorded30 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  4. 19801980: River flooding recordedUnder 1 hectare inside today’s built-up area
  5. 19501950: River flooding recorded21 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  6. 19471947: River flooding recorded69 hectares inside today’s built-up area
The worst: 194769 ha

Floodwater covered 69 hectares of what is now Leighton Buzzard in 1947, the largest flood the record holds here.

1,032 of Leighton Buzzard’s households today live inside the outline of a recorded flood.

Since 1947, the largest recorded flood inside the town covered 30 hectares.

River levels

The River Ouzel in January 2021 rose to its highest level since 1993

The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Leighton Buzzard gauge, since 1993. The river normally runs between 0.06 m and 0.33 m here.

Highest level each winter, metres
Winter 1994–95: highest 0.95 m · 42 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 1.01 m · 14 days above the normal rangeWinter 1996–97: highest 0.24 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 1.18 m · 8 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 1.05 m · 47 days above the normal rangeWinter 2000–01: highest 1.41 m · 111 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 0.83 m · 29 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 1.40 m · 34 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 0.75 m · 7 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 0.88 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 0.26 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 1.59 m on 20 July 2007 · 36 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 1.39 m · 35 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 1.46 m on 10 February 2009 · 23 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 1.29 m · 29 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 1.09 m · 9 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 1.50 m on 29 April 2012 · 15 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 1.37 m · 34 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 1.68 m on 7 February 2014 · 66 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 0.77 m · 20 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 1.19 m · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 0.76 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 0.26 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 0.24 m · 0 days above the normal range’13–14’06–07Record 1.70 m, 2020Top of normal range
1994–952018–19
The highest days on record
  • 14 January 20211.68 m
  • 7 February 20141.68 m
  • 30 January 20211.61 m
  • 20 July 20071.59 m
  • 21 February 20221.53 m
  • 29 April 20121.50 m

The River Ouzel has topped its normal range on 570 days since 1993, most in the winters of 2000–01 and 2013–14. By its highest day, the winter of 2018–19 was the 24th-highest of the 24.

Environment Agency Hydrology API, Leighton Buzzard (station E21187), daily maximum level; the record and normal range from the EA’s stage scale. Live river levels are on GOV.UK’s Check for flooding.

Flood warnings

No flood warning or alert is in force for Leighton Buzzard · 20 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 3 flood warning areas and 1 alert area reaching into the town; warnings since the service began in 2006.

Now: no flood warnings or alerts for Leighton Buzzard (checked 11 November 2026, 00:32). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Leighton Buzzard
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
Flood warning (flooding expected)Flood alert (flooding possible)

Of the 20 warnings, 7 were for Low lying areas close to Clipstone Brook at Leighton Buzzard and 7 for River Ouzel at Leighton Buzzard, Stoke Hammond and Great Brickhill. 2024 had the most warnings (19).

The most recent warning was on 27 September 2024.

Show the 4 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
Low lying areas close to Clipstone Brook at Leighton BuzzardWarning area7None
River Ouzel at Leighton Buzzard, Stoke Hammond and Great BrickhillWarning area7None
Wider area at risk from Clipstone Brook at Leighton BuzzardWarning area6None
River Ouzel in Central Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton KeynesAlert area16None

Environment Agency Historic Flood Warnings (first issues only, not updates; “flood watch” counted as an alert before 2011) and the real-time flood-monitoring API. Sign up for free warnings on GOV.UK or call Floodline, 0345 988 1188.

Radon

Leighton Buzzard is in the lowest radon band

Radon is a natural radioactive gas from the ground; long exposure raises the risk of lung cancer. The atlas gives the chance that a home in each 1 km square is above the UK action level (200 Bq/m³).

SP8924: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP8925: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9024: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9025: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9026: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9123: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9124: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9125: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9126: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9127: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9223: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9224: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9225: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9226: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9227: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9323: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9324: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9325: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9326: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9327: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9424: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP9425: Under 1% of homes above the action level© OpenStreetMap contributors · BGS/UKHSA
Under 1%
Share of the town’s area in each band
Under 1% of homes100%

Every 1 km square over Leighton Buzzard is in the lowest band: fewer than 1 in 100 homes are expected to be above the action level.

BGS/UKHSA Indicative Atlas of Radon in Great Britain, version 3. Check an address at UKradon.org.

Neighbours

Flood risk in the places around Leighton Buzzard

Share of homes at high or medium and at low risk from rivers and the sea. Tap a town for its page.

Heath and Reach: Hazard risk B−Wing: Hazard risk AHockliffe: Hazard risk CStoke Hammond: Hazard risk B−Eaton Bray and Edlesborough: Hazard risk CStewkley: Hazard risk ATotternhoe: Hazard risk AHeath and ReachWingHockliffeStoke HammondEaton Bray and EdlesboroughStewkleyTotternhoeLeighton Buzzard
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Leighton Buzzard42,7361.2%4.5%C
Heath and Reach1,4510.3%0.3%B−
Wing2,9790%0%A
Hockliffe1,0681.2%7.4%C
Stoke Hammond1,1550.3%1.1%B−
Eaton Bray and Edlesborough4,2010.9%3.3%C
Stewkley1,4210%0%A
Totternhoe1,0170%0%A

Leighton Buzzard has more homes at high or medium risk than any neighbour in the table. Wing, Stewkley and Totternhoe have none.

Be ready

Get ready for what Leighton Buzzard faces

Free warnings, what to do in a cloudburst, and what to check before you move.

Get the warnings
  • Sign up free for Environment Agency flood warnings by text, call or email.
  • Floodline: 0345 988 1188, 24 hours.
  • Leighton Buzzard’s warning areas include Wider area at risk from Clipstone Brook at Leighton Buzzard and Low lying areas close to Clipstone Brook at Leighton Buzzard.
Sign up ↗
In a cloudburst
  • Surface water rises in minutes, often with no warning issued: stay out of underpasses and dips.
  • Keep the gullies and drains outside your home clear of leaves.
  • Report a blocked road drain to the council.
When the river rises
  • Never walk or drive through floodwater: 30 cm of moving water can float a car.
  • Move valuables, papers and medicines upstairs.
  • Turn off gas, electricity and water if you’re told to.
Before you buy or rent in Leighton Buzzard
  • Check the address on GOV.UK’s long-term flood risk service: it gives rivers and sea and surface water separately.
  • Ask whether the home has flooded or had a flood insurance claim; the TA6 property form asks the seller.
  • Homes built before 2009 can get flood cover through Flood Re, the government-backed scheme; newer homes can’t.
How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • Defences are counted. Both agencies’ maps allow for flood defences and the chance they are overtopped or fail, so a town behind a defence scheme can show few homes at high risk and many at low risk.
  • Surface water is our estimate. Neither agency publishes a count of homes at risk from surface water, so we read each address on the map. A flat on a hill and a basement in a dip can share a postcode.
  • Past floods are what was recorded. The flood outlines come from surveys, aerial photographs and reports; many small floods, and most surface-water floods, were never mapped.
  • One town, many streets. Risk is street by street. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s long-term flood risk service before you buy or rent.

Check the long-term flood risk for an address on GOV.UK →

Questions about flooding and hazards in Leighton Buzzard

Does Leighton Buzzard flood?

The last flood the Environment Agency recorded inside the town was in 1998. 1.2% of homes are at high or medium risk from rivers and the sea on the Environment Agency’s maps, which allow for flood defences. About 6.8% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Leighton Buzzard grades C for hazard risk against UK towns.

Which parts of Leighton Buzzard are at risk of flooding?

From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: Low lying areas close to Clipstone Brook at Leighton Buzzard, River Ouzel at Leighton Buzzard, Stoke Hammond and Great Brickhill and Wider area at risk from Clipstone Brook at Leighton Buzzard. Surface water can collect in low spots anywhere in the town. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s long-term flood risk service.

When did Leighton Buzzard last flood?

The recorded flood outlines inside the town run from 1947 to 1998 (6 years); the largest was in 1947. Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the town since 2006, most recently on 27 September 2024.

Is Leighton Buzzard at risk of surface water flooding?

About 4.2% of homes are at high risk and 2.6% at medium risk from surface water, against 1.2% at high or medium risk from rivers and the sea. Surface water floods come with little warning, and the agencies don’t issue warnings for them.

Is radon a problem in Leighton Buzzard?

Not by the atlas: every 1 km square over Leighton Buzzard is in the lowest band, where fewer than 1 in 100 homes are expected to be above the action level.

Are there flood warnings in Leighton Buzzard now?

No flood warning or alert was in force near Leighton Buzzard at 11 November 2026, 00:32. Live warnings are on GOV.UK’s Check for flooding service and Floodline, 0345 988 1188.

Contains Environment Agency information © Environment Agency and/or database right 2026. Contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI 2026.

Sources: Environment Agency Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea, postcodes in areas at risk (June 2026); Natural Resources Wales Flood Risk Assessment Wales (May 2026); ONS Census 2021 households by postcode · Environment Agency Risk of Flooding from Surface Water (NaFRA2, 2025) and Natural Resources Wales Flood Risk Assessment Wales surface water and small watercourses, read at every address (ONS National Statistics UPRN Lookup, September 2026) and weighted by Census 2021 households by postcode · Environment Agency Recorded Flood Outlines and Natural Resources Wales historic flood map, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Environment Agency Hydrology API (daily maximum river level) and flood-monitoring stage scales · Environment Agency real-time flood-monitoring API · Environment Agency Historic Flood Warnings (January 2006 to June 2026) and flood warning and alert areas · BGS/UKHSA Indicative Atlas of Radon in Great Britain, version 3, by 1 km square · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.