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C−Hazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Blackpool · Environment Agency

Surface water, more than the river, is Blackpool’s flood risk: 6.7% of homes, against 2.7% 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. Blackpool’s Hazard risk Grade is C−: #46 of 65 in Lancashire.

2013worst recorded flood8flood warnings since 20063.2%at low risk
In brief

What stands out about Blackpool’s hazards

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

Rain, more than the river6.7% of homes sit where heavy rain can flood the streets, against 2.7% at risk from rivers and the sea.Remembers 2013Floodwater covered 19 hectares of today’s Blackpool in 2013; 456 of today’s households live inside past flood outlines.8 flood warnings since 2006For the parts of Blackpool the Environment Agency warns directly; the most recent on 20 October 2024.Low radonEvery 1 km square over Blackpool is in the lowest radon band: under 1% of homes above the action level.
By hazard

What Blackpool faces

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

Rivers and the sea

2.7%of homes at high or medium risk
More than the typical UK town · more than 83% of towns
2,044 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

6.7%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 81% of UK towns
Rivers and sea: 2.7%

Past floods

7years with a recorded flood
Last recorded: February 2020
456 households inside past outlines

Flood warnings

8flood warnings since 2006
386 flood alerts for the wider area
Last warning 20 October 2024

Radon

0%of the city 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

Blackpool grades C− for hazard risk

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

Homes at high or medium flood risk (2.7%)Fewer than 17% 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 Blackpool

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: 1977Recorded flood: 2002Recorded flood: 2007Surfaxce Water: 2009Recorded flood: 2013Recorded flood: 2017Recorded flood: 2020© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterBlackpool’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the Wyre Estuary, the Irish Sea and the River Wyre. Surface-water risk is spread across the city, in dips, underpasses and along small streams, which is why more homes are exposed to it.

Rivers and the sea

2.7% of Blackpool’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 3.2% are at low risk.

High risk1.7%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more1,244 homes, EA count
Medium risk1.1%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 100800 homes, EA count
Low risk3.2%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,0002,556 homes, EA count
Where Blackpool sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%
9%0.5–1%
11%1–2%
11%2–5%Blackpool
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; Blackpool has more than 83% of towns.

Towns its size: 45th of 52 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Westminster London203,5710%
2Oldham Greater Manchester110,7220%
3Birkenhead Merseyside109,8540%
…
43Worthing West Sussex111,6352.4%
44Chelmsford Essex110,6122.5%
45Blackpool Lancashire149,0872.7%
46Slough Berkshire166,8682.9%
47Warrington Cheshire174,9683.2%
…
51Oxford Oxfordshire170,7994.7%
52Lincoln Lincolnshire104,5536%

UK towns of 104,000 to 209,000 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 2.5 times as many Blackpool 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 water6.7%
Rivers and the sea2.7%
0%10.5%21% of homes

About 3.4% of homes are at high risk of surface-water flooding (a 1 in 30 chance or more each year) and 3.3% at medium risk: roughly 4,660 households. A further 8.2% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 81% of UK towns.

~4,660
households at high or medium risk
8.2%
of homes at low risk
81%
of UK towns have a smaller share
101,478
addresses read on the map

Our estimate: every address in the city (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

Blackpool has flooded in 7 recorded years since 1977, most of all in 2013

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

  1. 2020February 2020: River flooding recorded1 hectare inside today’s built-up area · Tilsdsley Road, Queen Victoria Road
  2. 2017July and November 2017: River flooding recorded2 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Peel Hill, The Spinney, White Carr Lane, Murchison Grove
  3. 2013December 2013: The sea came in19 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  4. 2009June 2009: The Surfaxce Water overflowed1 hectare inside today’s built-up area · Surfaxce Water Flooding at Clifton Retail Park
  5. 2007June 2007: River flooding recordedUnder 1 hectare inside today’s built-up area · Surface Water - Blackpool South
  6. 2002February 2002: The sea came in14 hectares inside today’s built-up area
Show all 7
  1. 1977November 1977: The sea came in11 hectares inside today’s built-up area
The worst: 201319 ha

Floodwater covered 19 hectares of what is now Blackpool in 2013, the largest flood the record holds here (December).

456 of Blackpool’s households today live inside the outline of a recorded flood.

Since 2013, the largest recorded flood inside the city covered 2 hectares.

Flood warnings

No flood warning or alert is in force for Blackpool · 8 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 7 flood warning areas and 4 alert areas reaching into the city; warnings since the service began in 2006.

Now: no flood warnings or alerts for Blackpool (checked 5 November 2026, 02:21). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Blackpool
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)

The warning area covering the most of Blackpool, Lancashire coastline at Cleveleys, between Rossall Beach and Anchorsholme, has not had a flood warning since 2006. Of the 8 warnings, 8 were for Lancashire coastline at Blackpool, along the Promenade from Little Bispham to Squires Gate.

2013 had the most warnings (3); 2024 the most alerts (36). The most recent warning was on 20 October 2024.

Show the 11 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
Lancashire coastline at Blackpool, along the Promenade from Little Bispham to Squires GateWarning area8None
Lancashire coastline at Cleveleys, around Princes Way, Promenade North and Jubilee GardensWarning area0None
Lancashire coastline at Cleveleys, between Rossall Beach and AnchorsholmeWarning area0None
Lancashire coastline at Blackpool, bordering Revoe and the A5099Warning area0None
Wyre estuary at Thornton, between A585, Stanah Road and School RoadWarning area0None
Horsebridge Dyke at Poulton le Fylde, Adlington Avenue areaWarning area0None
Horsebridge Dyke at Poulton le Fylde, between A586 and the golf clubWarning area0None
Wyre estuary from Fleetwood and Knott End to Little EcclestonAlert area238None
Coast from Fleetwood to BlackpoolAlert area88None
Lower River WyreAlert area51None
Coast at Lytham St AnnesAlert area9None

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

Blackpool 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).

SD3030: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3031: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3032: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3033: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3034: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3035: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3036: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3037: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3038: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3039: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3040: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3130: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3131: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3132: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3133: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3134: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3135: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3136: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3137: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3138: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3139: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3140: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3141: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3142: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3230: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3231: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3232: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3233: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3234: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3235: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3236: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3237: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3238: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3239: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3240: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3241: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3242: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3330: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3331: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3332: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3333: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3334: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3335: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3336: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3337: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3338: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3339: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3340: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3341: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3342: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3431: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3432: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3433: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3434: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3435: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3436: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3437: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3532: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3533: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3534: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3632: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD3633: Under 1% of homes above the action level© OpenStreetMap contributors · BGS/UKHSA
Under 1%
Share of the city’s area in each band
Under 1% of homes100%

Every 1 km square over Blackpool 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 Blackpool

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

Staining: Hazard risk APoulton-le-Fylde: Hazard risk C−Carleton: Hazard risk CThornton: Hazard risk C+Cleveleys: Hazard risk CLytham St Anne's: Hazard risk C+Hambleton: Hazard risk D−StainingPoulton-le-FyldeCarletonThorntonCleveleysLytham St Anne'sHambletonBlackpool
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Blackpool149,0872.7%3.2%C−
Staining1,6220%0%A
Poulton-le-Fylde12,7923.1%2.8%C−
Carleton4,7931.4%0.7%C
Thornton19,2630.5%2.3%C+
Cleveleys11,1211.2%3%C
Lytham St Anne's42,6930.6%0.7%C+
Hambleton2,42836%23%D−

Hambleton, 5 miles north-east, has the most homes at risk around Blackpool (36% at high or medium). Staining has none.

Be ready

Get ready for what Blackpool 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.
  • Blackpool’s warning areas include Lancashire coastline at Cleveleys, between Rossall Beach and Anchorsholme and Lancashire coastline at Blackpool, along the Promenade from Little Bispham to Squires Gate.
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 Blackpool
  • 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 Blackpool

Does Blackpool flood?

The last flood the Environment Agency recorded inside the city was in February 2020. 2.7% 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 6.7% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Blackpool grades C− for hazard risk against UK towns.

Which parts of Blackpool are at risk of flooding?

From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: Lancashire coastline at Blackpool, along the Promenade from Little Bispham to Squires Gate, Lancashire coastline at Cleveleys, between Rossall Beach and Anchorsholme, Lancashire coastline at Blackpool, bordering Revoe and the A5099 and Lancashire coastline at Cleveleys, around Princes Way, Promenade North and Jubilee Gardens. Surface water can collect in low spots anywhere in the city. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s long-term flood risk service.

When did Blackpool last flood?

The recorded flood outlines inside the city run from 1977 to 2020 (7 years); the largest was in 2013. Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the city since 2006, most recently on 20 October 2024.

Is Blackpool at risk of surface water flooding?

About 3.4% of homes are at high risk and 3.3% at medium risk from surface water, against 2.7% 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 Blackpool?

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

No flood warning or alert was in force near Blackpool at 5 November 2026, 02:21. 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 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.