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BHazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Crewe · Environment Agency

Heavy rain is Crewe’s main flood risk: 5.6% of homes, against under 0.1% 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. Hazard risk puts Crewe at B: #22 of 46 in Cheshire.

0warnings in force0.4%at low risk
In brief

What stands out about Crewe’s hazards

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

Rain, more than the river5.6% of homes sit where heavy rain can flood the streets, against under 0.1% at risk from rivers and the sea.Low radonEvery 1 km square over Crewe is in the lowest radon band: under 1% of homes above the action level.
By hazard

What Crewe faces

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

Rivers and the sea

under 0.1%of homes at high or medium risk
Fewer than the typical UK town · more than 39% of towns
69 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

5.6%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 74% of UK towns
About 1,790 households

The Valley Brook

1.77 mhighest in winter 2025–26 at Marshfield Bridge
13th-highest of 35 winters
Record 2.32 m, February 1977

Flood warnings

0flood warnings since 2006
38 flood alerts for the wider area
Never warned

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

Crewe grades B for hazard risk

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

Homes at high or medium flood risk (under 0.1%)Fewer than 61% 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 Crewe

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.

© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterCrewe’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the River Weaver. 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

Under 0.1% of Crewe’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 0.4% are at low risk.

High riskunder 0.1%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more8 homes, EA count
Medium riskunder 0.1%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 10061 homes, EA count
Low risk0.4%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,0001,141 homes, EA count
Where Crewe sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%Crewe
9%0.5–1%
11%1–2%
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; Crewe has more than 39% of towns.

Towns its size: 15th of 96 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Dudley West Midlands64,2770%
2Smethwick West Midlands56,3430%
3Bootle Merseyside53,7220%
…
13Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire95,995under 0.1%
14Southport Merseyside94,438under 0.1%
15Crewe Cheshire74,116under 0.1%
16Ellesmere Port Cheshire65,425under 0.1%
17Wellingborough Northamptonshire54,421under 0.1%
…
95Maidenhead Berkshire67,3916%
96Grimsby Lincolnshire85,9158.9%

UK towns of 52,000 to 104,000 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

5.6% of Crewe’s homes are at high or medium risk from surface water

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 water5.6%
Rivers and the seaunder 0.1%
0%7%14% of homes

About 2.7% of homes are at high risk of surface-water flooding (a 1 in 30 chance or more each year) and 2.9% at medium risk: roughly 1,790 households. A further 8.1% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 74% of UK towns.

~1,790
households at high or medium risk
8.1%
of homes at low risk
74%
of UK towns have a smaller share
40,378
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.

River levels

The Valley Brook at Marshfield Bridge: highest 2.32 m, in February 1977

The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Marshfield Bridge gauge (Wistaston Green), since 1990. The river normally runs between 0.18 m and 0.55 m here.

Highest level each winter, metres
Winter 1990–91: highest 1.13 m · 22 days above the normal rangeWinter 1991–92: highest 1.65 m · 13 days above the normal rangeWinter 1992–93: highest 1.28 m · 27 days above the normal rangeWinter 1993–94: highest 1.22 m · 51 days above the normal rangeWinter 1994–95: highest 1.77 m · 39 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 0.72 m · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 1996–97: highest 1.23 m · 21 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 1.43 m · 35 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 1.87 m · 45 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 1.56 m · 44 days above the normal rangeWinter 2000–01: highest 2.22 m on 6 November 2000 · 76 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 1.95 m on 30 July 2002 · 22 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 2.04 m on 25 July 2003 · 26 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 2.22 m on 10 August 2004 · 26 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 1.20 m · 26 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 1.41 m · 24 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 2.03 m on 6 August 2007 · 68 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 1.56 m · 28 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 1.34 m · 20 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 0.92 m · 9 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 1.70 m · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 1.75 m · 50 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 1.54 m · 42 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 1.64 m · 23 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 1.25 m · 18 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 1.00 m · 15 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 1.57 m · 21 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 1.95 m on 12 June 2019 · 44 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 2.03 m on 17 June 2020 · 54 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 2.15 m on 20 January 2021 · 74 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 1.28 m · 32 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 1.95 m · 54 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 1.89 m · 107 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 1.93 m · 56 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 1.77 m · 60 days above the normal range’00–01’03–04’20–21Record 2.32 m, 1977Top of normal range
1990–912025–26
The highest days on record
  • 6 November 20002.22 m
  • 10 August 20042.22 m
  • 20 January 20212.15 m
  • 25 July 20032.04 m
  • 17 June 20202.03 m
  • 6 August 20072.03 m

The Valley Brook has topped its normal range on 1,282 days since 1990, most in the winters of 2023–24 and 2000–01. By its highest day, the winter of 2025–26 was the 13th-highest of the 35.

Environment Agency Hydrology API, Marshfield Bridge (station 680403), 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 Crewe · 0 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 0 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 Crewe (checked 6 November 2026, 03:56). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Crewe
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)
Show the 1 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
Weaver catchment including Nantwich, Frodsham, Crewe, Winsford and NorthwichAlert area38None

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

Crewe 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).

SJ6752: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6753: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6754: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6755: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6756: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6758: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6852: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6853: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6854: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6855: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6856: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6857: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6858: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6952: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6953: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6954: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6955: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6956: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6957: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ6958: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7052: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7053: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7054: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7055: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7056: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7057: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7058: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7153: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7154: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7155: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7156: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7157: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7253: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7254: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7255: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7256: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ7355: 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 Crewe 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 Crewe

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

Haslington: Hazard risk AWillaston (Cheshire East): Hazard risk B+Shavington: Hazard risk C−Winterley: Hazard risk C+Nantwich: Hazard risk B−Wheelock: Hazard risk C+Elworth: Hazard risk AHaslingtonWillaston (Cheshire East)ShavingtonWinterleyNantwichWheelockElworthCrewe
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Crewe74,116under 0.1%0.4%B
Haslington5,0420%0%A
Willaston (Cheshire East)3,6530%0.8%B+
Shavington4,9721.7%0.7%C−
Winterley1,3710.7%1.4%C+
Nantwich18,7410.2%1.2%B−
Wheelock2,1550.5%1.3%C+
Elworth7,6460%0%A

Shavington, 2.5 miles south, has the most homes at risk around Crewe (1.7% at high or medium). Haslington, Willaston (Cheshire East) and Elworth have none.

Be ready

Get ready for what Crewe 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.
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 Crewe
  • 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.
  • 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 Crewe

Does Crewe flood?

Under 0.1% 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 5.6% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Crewe grades B for hazard risk against UK towns.

Is Crewe at risk of surface water flooding?

About 2.7% of homes are at high risk and 2.9% at medium risk from surface water, against under 0.1% 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 Crewe?

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

No flood warning or alert was in force near Crewe at 6 November 2026, 03:56. 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 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.