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CHazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Wokingham · Environment Agency

Surface water, more than the river, is Wokingham’s flood risk: 6.1% of homes, against 1.5% from rivers or the sea

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. Wokingham grades C for hazard risk: #15 of 30 in Berkshire.

2007worst recorded flood2flood warnings since 20060.1%at low risk
In brief

What stands out about Wokingham’s hazards

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

Rain, more than the river6.1% of homes sit where heavy rain can flood the streets, against 1.5% at risk from rivers and the sea.Remembers 2007Floodwater covered 29 hectares of today’s Wokingham in 2007; 534 of today’s households live inside past flood outlines.2 flood warnings since 2006For the parts of Wokingham the Environment Agency warns directly; the most recent on 31 March 2023.Low radonEvery 1 km square over Wokingham is in the lowest radon band: under 1% of homes above the action level.
By hazard

What Wokingham faces

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

Rivers and the sea

1.5%of homes at high or medium risk
More than the typical UK town · more than 74% of towns
333 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

6.1%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 78% of UK towns
Rivers and sea: 1.5%

Past floods

5years with a recorded flood
Last recorded: July 2007
534 households inside past outlines

The Emm Brook

1.23 mhighest in winter 2025–26 at Wokingham
14th-highest of 23 winters
Record 2.33 m, July 2007

Flood warnings

2flood warnings since 2006
147 flood alerts for the wider area
Last warning 31 March 2023

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

Wokingham grades C for hazard risk

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

Homes at high or medium flood risk (1.5%)Fewer than 26% 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 Wokingham

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: 1974Recorded flood: 1981Recorded flood: 1991Recorded flood: 2007© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterWokingham’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the River Loddon, the Emm Brook and the The Queen's Brook. 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

1.5% of Wokingham’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 0.1% are at low risk.

High risk1.1%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more248 homes, EA count
Medium risk0.4%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 10085 homes, EA count
Low risk0.1%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,00029 homes, EA count
Where Wokingham sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%
9%0.5–1%
11%1–2%Wokingham
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; Wokingham has more than 74% of towns.

Towns its size: 106th of 138 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Dudley West Midlands64,2770%
2Smethwick West Midlands56,3430%
3Bootle Merseyside53,7220%
…
104Bishop's Stortford Hertfordshire40,9161.4%
105Hoddesdon Hertfordshire40,6151.4%
106Wokingham Berkshire50,3201.5%
107Willenhall West Midlands49,5821.5%
108Dover Kent36,3491.5%
…
137Tonbridge Kent36,1367.9%
138Exmouth Devon35,5029.8%

UK towns of 35,000 to 70,000 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 4.2 times as many Wokingham 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 water6.1%
Rivers and the sea1.5%
0%7%14% of homes

About 3.5% of homes are at high risk of surface-water flooding (a 1 in 30 chance or more each year) and 2.7% at medium risk: roughly 1,260 households. A further 6% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 78% of UK towns.

~1,260
households at high or medium risk
6%
of homes at low risk
78%
of UK towns have a smaller share
25,140
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

Wokingham has flooded in 5 recorded years since 1947, most of all in 2007

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

  1. 2007July 2007: River flooding recorded29 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Thames SE area
  2. 1991January 1991: River flooding recordedUnder 1 hectare inside today’s built-up area
  3. 1981January 1981: River flooding recorded10 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  4. 1974January 1974: River flooding recorded10 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  5. 1947January 1947: River flooding recorded29 hectares inside today’s built-up area
The worst: 200729 ha

Floodwater covered 29 hectares of what is now Wokingham in 2007, the largest flood the record holds here (July).

534 of Wokingham’s households today live inside the outline of a recorded flood.

River levels

The Emm Brook at Wokingham: highest 2.33 m, in July 2007

The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Wokingham gauge, since 2002. The river normally runs between 0.40 m and 1.20 m here.

Highest level each winter, metres
Winter 2002–03: highest 1.55 m on 30 December 2002 · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 1.03 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 0.86 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 0.84 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 2.33 m on 20 July 2007 · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 1.61 m on 3 June 2008 · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 1.53 m on 10 February 2009 · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 1.02 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 1.15 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 1.30 m · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 1.24 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 1.57 m on 4 January 2014 · 10 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 1.20 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 1.25 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 0.99 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 1.21 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 1.24 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 1.36 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 1.02 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 1.74 m on 31 March 2023 · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 1.58 m on 5 January 2024 · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 1.28 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 1.23 m · 2 days above the normal range’06–07’22–23’07–08Record 2.33 m, 2007Top of normal range
2002–032025–26
The highest days on record
  • 20 July 20072.33 m
  • 31 March 20231.74 m
  • 3 June 20081.61 m
  • 5 January 20241.58 m
  • 4 January 20141.57 m
  • 30 December 20021.55 m

The Emm Brook has topped its normal range on 45 days since 2002, most in the winters of 2013–14 and 2022–23. By its highest day, the winter of 2025–26 was the 14th-highest of the 23.

Environment Agency Hydrology API, Wokingham (station 2486TH), 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 Wokingham · 2 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 2 flood warning areas and 2 alert areas reaching into the town; warnings since the service began in 2006.

Now: no flood warnings or alerts for Wokingham (checked 7 November 2026, 03:55). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Wokingham
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 2 warnings, 2 were for Emm Brook at Wokingham. 2019 had the most warnings (1); 2012 the most alerts (17).

The most recent warning was on 31 March 2023.

Show the 4 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
Emm Brook at WokinghamWarning area2None
The Queen's Brook South of WokinghamWarning area0None
Lower River LoddonAlert area79None
Emm Brook and Queen's BrookAlert area68None

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

Wokingham 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).

SU7664: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7764: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7765: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7767: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7864: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7865: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7866: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7867: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7868: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7869: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7870: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7964: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7965: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7966: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7967: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7968: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7969: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU7970: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8064: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8065: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8066: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8067: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8068: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8069: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8070: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8164: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8165: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8166: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8167: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8168: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8169: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8170: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8265: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8267: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8268: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8269: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8270: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8368: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSU8369: 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 Wokingham 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 Wokingham

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

Winnersh: Hazard risk CBinfield: Hazard risk AArborfield Garrison: Hazard risk B−Crowthorne: Hazard risk CHurst: Hazard risk CBracknell: Hazard risk CWoodley: Hazard risk B−WinnershBinfieldArborfield GarrisonCrowthorneHurstBracknellWoodleyWokingham
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Wokingham50,3201.5%0.1%C
Winnersh8,9041.3%5.1%C
Binfield4,8510%0%A
Arborfield Garrison4,3110.2%under 0.1%B−
Crowthorne15,1961%0.4%C
Hurst1,0090.9%1.6%C
Bracknell78,6621.2%1.6%C
Woodley28,0190.2%0.3%B−

Wokingham has more homes at high or medium risk than any neighbour in the table. Binfield has none.

Be ready

Get ready for what Wokingham 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.
  • Wokingham’s warning areas include Emm Brook at Wokingham and The Queen's Brook South of Wokingham.
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 Wokingham
  • 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 Wokingham

Does Wokingham flood?

The last flood the Environment Agency recorded inside the town was in July 2007. 1.5% 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 6.1% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Wokingham grades C for hazard risk against UK towns.

Which parts of Wokingham are at risk of flooding?

From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: Emm Brook at Wokingham and The Queen's Brook South of Wokingham. 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 Wokingham last flood?

The recorded flood outlines inside the town run from 1947 to 2007 (5 years); the largest was in 2007. Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the town since 2006, most recently on 31 March 2023.

Is Wokingham at risk of surface water flooding?

About 3.5% of homes are at high risk and 2.7% at medium risk from surface water, against 1.5% 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 Wokingham?

Not by the atlas: every 1 km square over Wokingham 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 Wokingham now?

No flood warning or alert was in force near Wokingham at 7 November 2026, 03:55. 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.