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C+Hazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Liverpool · Environment Agency

Heavy rain is Liverpool’s main flood risk: 4.9% of homes, against 0.6% 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 Liverpool at C+.

In brief

What stands out about Liverpool’s hazards

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

By hazard

What Liverpool faces

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

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

Liverpool grades C+ for hazard risk

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

Homes at high or medium flood risk (0.6%)Fewer than 40% 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 Liverpool

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: 1997© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterLiverpool’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the River Alt, the River Ditton and the Court Hey Brook. 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

0.6% of Liverpool’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 0.6% are at low risk.

High risk0.5%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more1,373 homes, EA count
Medium riskunder 0.1%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 10099 homes, EA count
Low risk0.6%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,0001,582 homes, EA count
Where Liverpool sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%
9%0.5–1%Liverpool
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; Liverpool has more than 60% of towns.

Towns its size: 12th of 37 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Southwark London307,0760%
2Newham London351,065under 0.1%
3Havering London259,4010.1%
…
10Tower Hamlets London311,0720.5%
11Brighton and Hove East Sussex277,0960.5%
12Liverpool Merseyside506,5640.6%
13Ealing London367,2710.6%
14Plymouth Devon266,9700.8%
…
36Nottingham Nottinghamshire299,7863.6%
37Kingston upon Hull East Riding of Yorkshire270,8166.3%

UK towns of 253,000 to 1,013,000 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 8.6 times as many Liverpool 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 water4.9%
Rivers and the sea0.6%
0%10.5%21% of homes

About 1.9% of homes are at high risk of surface-water flooding (a 1 in 30 chance or more each year) and 3% at medium risk: roughly 10,600 households. A further 9.4% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 67% of UK towns.

~10,600
households at high or medium risk
9.4%
of homes at low risk
67%
of UK towns have a smaller share
300,136
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

Liverpool has flooded in 1 recorded year since 1997

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

  1. 1997December 1997: River flooding recordedUnder 1 hectare inside today’s built-up area

8 of Liverpool’s households today live inside the outline of a recorded flood.

River levels

The River Alt in January 2025 rose to its 4th-highest level since 1990

The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Kirkby gauge (Aintree), since 1990. The river normally runs between 0.21 m and 1.30 m here.

Highest level each winter, metres
Winter 1990–91: highest 1.33 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 1991–92: highest 1.22 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1992–93: highest 1.63 m · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 1993–94: highest 1.27 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1994–95: highest 1.74 m · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 0.97 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1996–97: highest 1.18 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 1.42 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 1.43 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 1.52 m · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 2000–01: highest 1.91 m on 30 October 2000 · 10 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 1.91 m on 9 September 2002 · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 1.61 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 2.22 m on 10 August 2004 · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 1.82 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 1.48 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 1.51 m · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 1.78 m · 11 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 1.70 m · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 2.16 m on 20 July 2010 · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 1.46 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 2.01 m on 24 September 2012 · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 1.57 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 0.97 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 1.30 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 1.82 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 1.37 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 1.44 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 1.83 m on 24 September 2019 · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 1.73 m · 8 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 2.20 m on 20 January 2021 · 13 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 1.53 m · 7 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 1.76 m · 7 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 2.11 m on 1 January 2025 · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 1.24 m · 0 days above the normal range’03–04’20–21’09–10Record 2.22 m, 2004Top of normal range
1990–912025–26
The highest days on record
  • 10 August 20042.22 m
  • 20 January 20212.20 m
  • 20 July 20102.16 m
  • 1 January 20252.11 m
  • 24 September 20122.01 m
  • 30 October 20001.91 m

The River Alt has topped its normal range on 127 days since 1990, most in the winters of 2020–21 and 2007–08. By its highest day, the winter of 2025–26 was the 31st-highest of the 35.

Environment Agency Hydrology API, Kirkby (station 694744), 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 Liverpool · 1 warning in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 5 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 Liverpool (checked 5 November 2026, 17:55). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Liverpool
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 Liverpool, Irish Sea and Mersey estuary from the Head of the Wirral to Runcorn, has not had a flood warning since 2006. Of the 1 warnings, 1 were for Tue Brook at Clubmoor.

2025 had the most warnings (1); 2024 the most alerts (26). The most recent warning was on 20 September 2025.

Show the 9 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
Tue Brook at ClubmoorWarning area1None
Childwall and Court Hey Brooks at Childwall and Court Hey ParkWarning area0None
Ditton Brook at HalewoodWarning area0None
Irish Sea and Mersey estuary from the Head of the Wirral to RuncornWarning area0None
Netherley Brook at NetherleyWarning area0None
River Alt, Formby to HuytonAlert area64None
Mersey Estuary from Liverpool and Wirral to WidnesAlert area49None
River Ditton catchment including areas around Huyton-with-Roby and WidnesAlert area28None
Wirral catchment with Heswall, Ellesmere Port, Bebington, Hoylake and WallaseyAlert area21None

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 Liverpool 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).

SJ3389: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3390: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3391: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3392: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3393: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3394: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3487: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3488: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3489: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3490: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3491: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3492: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3493: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3494: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3586: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3587: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3588: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3589: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3590: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3591: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3592: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3593: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3594: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3595: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3596: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3597: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3686: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3687: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3688: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3689: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3690: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3691: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3692: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3693: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3694: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3695: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3696: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3697: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3785: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3786: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3787: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3788: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3789: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3790: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3791: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3792: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3793: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3794: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3795: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3796: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3797: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3798: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3884: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3885: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3886: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3887: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3888: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3889: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3890: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3891: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3892: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3893: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3894: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3895: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3896: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3897: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3898: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3983: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3984: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3985: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3986: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3987: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3988: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3989: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3990: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3991: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3992: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3993: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3994: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3995: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3996: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ3997: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4082: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4083: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4084: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4085: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4086: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4087: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4088: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4089: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4090: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4091: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4092: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4093: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4094: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSJ4095: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4096: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4097: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4182: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4183: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4184: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4185: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4186: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4187: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4188: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4189: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4190: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4191: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4192: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4193: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4194: 10–30% of homes above the action levelSJ4195: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4196: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4281: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4282: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4283: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4284: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4285: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4286: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4287: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4288: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4289: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4290: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4291: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4292: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4293: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4294: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4295: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4381: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4382: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4383: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4384: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4385: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4386: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4387: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSJ4388: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSJ4389: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4482: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4483: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSJ4484: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSJ4485: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4486: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4487: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSJ4488: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSJ4489: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4582: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4583: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSJ4584: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSJ4585: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4586: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4587: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSJ4588: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSJ4684: 1–3% of homes above the action level© OpenStreetMap contributors · BGS/UKHSA
Under 1%1–3%10–30%
Share of the city’s area in each band
Under 1% of homes95%
1–3% of homes4%
10–30% of homes1%

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

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 Liverpool

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

ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Liverpool506,5640.6%0.6%C+
Huyton with Roby59,8440.1%0.2%B
Knowsley2,3453%1.1%C−
Bootle53,7220%0%A
Aintree6,2120%0%A
Prescot39,227under 0.1%0.2%B
Kirkby45,559under 0.1%0.3%B
Litherland18,7520%0%A

Knowsley, 4.1 miles north-east, has the most homes at risk around Liverpool (3% at high or medium). Bootle, Aintree and Litherland have none.

Be ready

Get ready for what Liverpool 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.
  • Liverpool’s warning areas include Irish Sea and Mersey estuary from the Head of the Wirral to Runcorn and Tue Brook at Clubmoor.
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 Liverpool
  • 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 Liverpool

Does Liverpool flood?

The last flood the Environment Agency recorded inside the city was in December 1997. 0.6% 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 4.9% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Liverpool grades C+ for hazard risk against UK towns.

Which parts of Liverpool are at risk of flooding?

From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: Tue Brook at Clubmoor, Irish Sea and Mersey estuary from the Head of the Wirral to Runcorn, Ditton Brook at Halewood and Childwall and Court Hey Brooks at Childwall and Court Hey Park. 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 Liverpool last flood?

The recorded flood outlines inside the city run from 1997 to 1997 (1 years); the largest was in 1997. Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the city since 2006, most recently on 20 September 2025.

Is Liverpool at risk of surface water flooding?

About 1.9% of homes are at high risk and 3% at medium risk from surface water, against 0.6% 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 Liverpool?

5% of the city’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area on the BGS/UKHSA atlas, and 1% 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 Liverpool now?

No flood warning or alert was in force near Liverpool at 5 November 2026, 17:55. 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.