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Market Street, LancasterPhoto: Stephen Craven · CC BY-SA 2.0
C−Hazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Lancaster · Environment Agency

In Lancaster, heavy rain puts more homes at risk than rivers or the sea: 3.9%, against 1.9%

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 Lancaster at C−: #39 of 65 in Lancashire.

2015worst recorded flood36flood warnings since 200696%in a radon Affected Area
In brief

What stands out about Lancaster’s hazards

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

Rain, more than the river3.9% of homes sit where heavy rain can flood the streets, against 1.9% at risk from rivers and the sea.Remembers 2015The River Street covered 53 hectares of today’s Lancaster in 2015; 510 of today’s households live inside past flood outlines.36 flood warnings since 2006For the parts of Lancaster the Environment Agency warns directly; the most recent on 24 March 2026.Radon in parts52% of the town is in 1 km squares where 5% or more of homes may be above the radon action level.
By hazard

What Lancaster faces

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

Rivers and the sea

1.9%of homes at high or medium risk
More than the typical UK town · more than 78% of towns
732 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

3.9%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 56% of UK towns
Rivers and sea: 1.9%

Past floods

7years with a recorded flood
Last recorded: August 2020
510 households inside past outlines

The River Lune

1.69 mhighest in winter 2025–26 at Skerton Weir
21st-highest of 36 winters
Record 3.84 m, December 2015

Flood warnings

36flood warnings since 2006
262 flood alerts for the wider area
Last warning 24 March 2026

Radon

96%of the town in a radon Affected Area
Highest band here: 10–30% of homes
52% in squares 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

Lancaster grades C− for hazard risk

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

Homes at high or medium flood risk (1.9%)Fewer than 22% 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 Lancaster

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: 1995Recorded flood: 2002Recorded flood: 2011River Street: 2015Recorded flood: 2016Recorded flood: 2017Recorded flood: 2020© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterLancaster’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the Lune estuary, the River Lune and the Burrow Beck. 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

1.9% of Lancaster’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 3.6% are at low risk.

High risk0.7%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more182 homes, EA count
Medium risk1.2%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 100550 homes, EA count
Low risk3.6%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,0001,164 homes, EA count
Where Lancaster sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%
9%0.5–1%
11%1–2%Lancaster
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; Lancaster has more than 78% of towns.

Towns its size: 109th of 130 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Dudley West Midlands64,2770%
2Smethwick West Midlands56,3430%
3Bootle Merseyside53,7220%
…
107Weymouth Dorset55,5401.7%
108Cheshunt Hertfordshire43,6941.8%
109Lancaster Lancashire52,6461.9%
110Cwmbrân Gwent47,0752%
111Bexhill-on-Sea East Sussex43,7502.2%
…
129Neath West Glamorgan40,7387.2%
130West Molesey Surrey47,1447.2%

UK towns of 37,000 to 74,000 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 times as many Lancaster 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 water3.9%
Rivers and the sea1.9%
0%7%14% of homes

About 1.5% of homes are at high risk of surface-water flooding (a 1 in 30 chance or more each year) and 2.4% at medium risk: roughly 850 households. A further 6.4% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 56% of UK towns.

~850
households at high or medium risk
6.4%
of homes at low risk
56%
of UK towns have a smaller share
28,081
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

Lancaster has flooded in 7 recorded years since 1995, most of all in 2015

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

  1. 2020February and August 2020: River flooding recordedUnder 1 hectare inside today’s built-up area · Lansil Way, Aldrens Lane, Lentworth Drive
  2. 2017July and November 2017: River flooding recorded5 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Willow Lane, Whinfell Drive Whinfell Drive, Lentworth Drive, Wyresdale Road
  3. 2016August 2016: River flooding recordedUnder 1 hectare inside today’s built-up area
  4. 2015December 2015: The River Street overflowed53 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Derwent Road, Lancaster, Thurnham Street, Lancaster, Albert Road, Lancaster, Lune Street, Lancaster
  5. 2011September 2011: River flooding recorded1 hectare inside today’s built-up area · North of Bowerham
  6. 2002February 2002: The sea came in2 hectares inside today’s built-up area
Show all 7
  1. 1995January 1995: River flooding recorded33 hectares inside today’s built-up area
The worst: 201553 ha

The River Street covered 53 hectares of what is now Lancaster in 2015, the largest flood the record holds here (December).

510 of Lancaster’s households today live inside the outline of a recorded flood.

Since 2015, the largest recorded flood inside the town covered 5 hectares.

River levels

The River Lune at Skerton Weir: highest 3.84 m, in December 2015

The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Skerton Weir gauge, since 1990. The river normally runs between 0.58 m and 2.01 m here.

Highest level each winter, metres
Winter 1989–90: highest 2.17 m on 19 February 1990 · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 1990–91: highest 1.72 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1991–92: highest 1.70 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1992–93: highest 1.66 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1993–94: highest 1.58 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1994–95: highest 2.96 m on 1 February 1995 · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 1.05 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1996–97: highest 1.23 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 1.21 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 1.97 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2000–01: highest 1.43 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 1.62 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 1.25 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 2.09 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 2.62 m on 8 January 2005 · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 1.90 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 1.81 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 1.47 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 1.67 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 1.34 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 2.15 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 1.54 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 1.57 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 2.07 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 1.63 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 3.85 m on 6 December 2015 · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 1.42 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 2.74 m on 23 November 2017 · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 2.03 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 2.63 m on 9 February 2020 · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 2.28 m on 2 November 2020 · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 1.85 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 1.83 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 2.06 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 2.12 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 1.69 m · 0 days above the normal range’15–16’94–95’17–18Record 3.84 m, 2015Top of normal range
1989–902025–26
The highest days on record
  • 6 December 20153.85 m
  • 1 February 19952.96 m
  • 23 November 20172.74 m
  • 9 February 20202.63 m
  • 8 January 20052.62 m
  • 12 March 20202.36 m

The River Lune has topped its normal range on 23 days since 1990, most in the winters of 2015–16 and 2004–05. By its highest day, the winter of 2025–26 was the 21st-highest of the 36.

Environment Agency Hydrology API, Skerton Weir (station 724647), 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 Lancaster · 36 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 7 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 Lancaster (checked 5 November 2026, 13:41). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Lancaster
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 Lancaster, River Lune at Lancaster Quay, comprising area from Lune Industrial Estate to Lune Street, has not had a flood warning since 2006. Of the 36 warnings, 20 were for Burrow Beck at Lancaster, around Canterbury Ave, Cranwell Ave and Bowerham Road and 7 for River Lune at Skerton Pool, areas around Riverside Industrial Estate and Halton Training Camp.

2020 had the most warnings (12); 2024 the most alerts (26). The most recent warning was on 24 March 2026.

Show the 9 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
Burrow Beck at Lancaster, around Canterbury Ave, Cranwell Ave and Bowerham RoadWarning area20None
River Lune at Skerton Pool, areas around Riverside Industrial Estate and Halton Training CampWarning area7None
Burrow Beck at Lancaster, between Newlands Ave, Lentworth Drive and Whinfell DriveWarning area6None
River Lune at Lancaster Quay, area around Morecambe Road and Owen RoadWarning area3None
River Lune at Lancaster Quay, between St Georges Quay, River Street and Damside StreetWarning area0None
River Lune at Skerton Pool, bordering Caton Road, Damside Street and North RoadWarning area0None
River Lune at Lancaster Quay, comprising area from Lune Industrial Estate to Lune StreetWarning area0None
Lune estuary south west of LancasterAlert area143None
Lower River Lune and ConderAlert area119None

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

Parts of Lancaster are in radon Affected Areas, up to the 10–30% 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).

SD4561: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSD4562: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD4563: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD4660: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4661: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4662: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4663: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSD4758: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4759: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4760: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSD4761: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4762: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4763: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4764: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4858: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSD4859: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSD4860: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSD4861: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSD4862: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSD4863: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4864: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4959: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSD4960: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4961: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4962: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSD4963: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSD4964: 10–30% of homes above the action level© OpenStreetMap contributors · BGS/UKHSA
Under 1%1–3%3–5%10–30%
Share of the town’s area in each band
Under 1% of homes4%
1–3% of homes36%
3–5% of homes8%
10–30% of homes52%

96% of Lancaster’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area (1% of homes or more above the action level), and 52% in squares of 5% or more, mostly on the north-east side of the town.

The squares are indicative: each takes the highest band found anywhere inside it, so most homes in a coloured square are below it. Only a three-month test in the home gives a real answer.

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

Neighbours

Flood risk in the places around Lancaster

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

Morecambe: Hazard risk DHalton: Hazard risk C−Bailrigg: Hazard risk C−Bolton-le-Sands: Hazard risk C+Overton: Hazard risk DHeysham: Hazard risk CGalgate: Hazard risk D−MorecambeHaltonBailriggBolton-le-SandsOvertonHeyshamGalgateLancaster
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Lancaster52,6461.9%3.6%C−
Morecambe32,7454.5%13%D
Halton2,6522.7%6%C−
Bailrigg4,7881.9%3.7%C−
Bolton-le-Sands6,7280.6%0.5%C+
Overton1,0164.6%1.1%D
Heysham16,5931.1%1.4%C
Galgate2,08513%9.1%D−

Galgate, 3.9 miles south, has the most homes at risk around Lancaster (13% at high or medium).

Be ready

Get ready for what Lancaster 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.
  • Lancaster’s warning areas include River Lune at Lancaster Quay, comprising area from Lune Industrial Estate to Lune Street and River Lune at Skerton Pool, bordering Caton Road, Damside Street and North Road.
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.
Radon
  • Test over three months, in a living room and a bedroom.
  • Above 200 Bq/m³, a small sump and fan usually fixes it.
  • New homes in radon areas are built with protection: basic from 3%, full from 10%.
UKradon ↗
Before you buy or rent in Lancaster
  • 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.
  • Check radon for the address on UKradon.org (a small fee) or ask the seller for a test result.
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 Lancaster

Does Lancaster flood?

The last flood the Environment Agency recorded inside the town was in August 2020. 1.9% 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 3.9% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Lancaster grades C− for hazard risk against UK towns.

Which parts of Lancaster are at risk of flooding?

From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: Burrow Beck at Lancaster, around Canterbury Ave, Cranwell Ave and Bowerham Road, River Lune at Skerton Pool, areas around Riverside Industrial Estate and Halton Training Camp, Burrow Beck at Lancaster, between Newlands Ave, Lentworth Drive and Whinfell Drive and River Lune at Lancaster Quay, area around Morecambe Road and Owen Road. 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 Lancaster last flood?

The recorded flood outlines inside the town run from 1995 to 2020 (7 years); the largest was in 2015. Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the town since 2006, most recently on 24 March 2026.

Is Lancaster at risk of surface water flooding?

About 1.5% of homes are at high risk and 2.4% at medium risk from surface water, against 1.9% 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 Lancaster?

96% of the town’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area on the BGS/UKHSA atlas, and 52% is in 1 km squares where 5% or more of homes may be above the action level. Most homes are below it; a three-month test is the only way to know.

Are there flood warnings in Lancaster now?

No flood warning or alert was in force near Lancaster at 5 November 2026, 13:41. 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.