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Stratford-Upon-Avon , Rother Market SquarePhoto: Lewis Clarke · CC BY-SA 2.0
C−Hazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Stratford-upon-Avon · Environment Agency

Heavy rain is Stratford-upon-Avon’s main flood risk: 7.3% of homes, against 2.9% 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. For hazard risk, Stratford-upon-Avon grades C−: #30 of 34 in Warwickshire.

2007worst recorded flood17flood warnings since 200656%in a radon Affected Area
In brief

What stands out about Stratford-upon-Avon’s hazards

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

Rain, more than the river7.3% of homes sit where heavy rain can flood the streets, against 2.9% at risk from rivers and the sea.Remembers 2007Floodwater covered 37 hectares of today’s Stratford-upon-Avon in 2007; 240 of today’s households live inside past flood outlines.The River Avon ran its 5th-highest in January 20251.89 m at Stratford on 7 January 2025, 82 cm under the record set in 1998.17 flood warnings since 2006For the parts of Stratford-upon-Avon the Environment Agency warns directly; the most recent on 7 January 2025.
By hazard

What Stratford-upon-Avon faces

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

Rivers and the sea

2.9%of homes at high or medium risk
More than the typical UK town · more than 84% of towns
421 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

7.3%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 84% of UK towns
Rivers and sea: 2.9%

Past floods

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

The River Avon

1.60 mhighest in winter 2025–26 at Stratford
13th-highest of 36 winters
Record 2.71 m, April 1998

Flood warnings

17flood warnings since 2006
89 flood alerts for the wider area
Last warning 7 January 2025

Radon

56%of the town in a radon Affected Area
Highest band here: 3–5% 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

Stratford-upon-Avon grades C− for hazard risk

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

Homes at high or medium flood risk (2.9%)Fewer than 16% 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 Stratford-upon-Avon

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: 1968Recorded flood: 1985Recorded flood: 1998Recorded flood: 2007© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterStratford-upon-Avon’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the Avon, the St Johns and the Fishers. 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

2.9% of Stratford-upon-Avon’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 2.4% are at low risk.

High risk1.2%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more166 homes, EA count
Medium risk1.8%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 100255 homes, EA count
Low risk2.4%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000329 homes, EA count
Where Stratford-upon-Avon sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%
9%0.5–1%
11%1–2%
11%2–5%Stratford-upon-Avon
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; Stratford-upon-Avon has more than 84% of towns.

Towns its size: 205th of 240 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Chadderton Greater Manchester37,6020%
2Sutton in Ashfield Nottinghamshire36,4350%
3Denton Greater Manchester36,0050%
…
203Totton Hampshire28,0932.9%
204Great Yarmouth Norfolk28,9792.9%
205Stratford-upon-Avon Warwickshire28,1122.9%
206St Neots Cambridgeshire33,2623%
207Shoreham-by-Sea West Sussex23,6593.1%
…
239Spalding Lincolnshire30,55284%
240Goole East Riding of Yorkshire20,17394%

UK towns of 20,000 to 39,000 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 Stratford-upon-Avon 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 water7.3%
Rivers and the sea2.9%
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 3.8% at medium risk: roughly 950 households. A further 9.4% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 84% of UK towns.

~950
households at high or medium risk
9.4%
of homes at low risk
84%
of UK towns have a smaller share
17,695
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

Stratford-upon-Avon has flooded in 5 recorded years since 1947, most of all in 2007

Every flood the Environment Agency has mapped inside Stratford-upon-Avon’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 recorded37 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  2. 1998April 1998: River flooding recorded29 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Lower Severn, Stratford Upon Avon
  3. 1985January 1985: River flooding recorded26 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Lower Severn
  4. 1968July 1968: River flooding recorded18 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Lower Severn, Stratford upon Avon
  5. 1947March 1947: River flooding recorded18 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Lower Severn
The worst: 200737 ha

Floodwater covered 37 hectares of what is now Stratford-upon-Avon in 2007, the largest flood the record holds here (July).

240 of Stratford-upon-Avon’s households today live inside the outline of a recorded flood.

River levels

The River Avon in January 2025 rose to its 5th-highest level since 1990

The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Stratford gauge, since 1990. The river normally runs between 0.50 m and 0.93 m here.

Highest level each winter, metres
Winter 1990–91: highest 1.36 m · 13 days above the normal rangeWinter 1991–92: highest 1.58 m · 12 days above the normal rangeWinter 1992–93: highest 1.73 m · 41 days above the normal rangeWinter 1993–94: highest 1.51 m · 62 days above the normal rangeWinter 1994–95: highest 1.26 m · 27 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 1.11 m · 7 days above the normal rangeWinter 1996–97: highest 0.92 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 2.71 m on 10 April 1998 · 30 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 1.36 m · 41 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 1.54 m · 30 days above the normal rangeWinter 2000–01: highest 1.66 m · 74 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 1.04 m · 11 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 1.67 m · 31 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 1.26 m · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 1.14 m · 9 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 1.08 m · 9 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 2.51 m on 21 July 2007 · 62 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 1.67 m · 27 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 1.53 m · 27 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 1.23 m · 17 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 1.05 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 1.27 m · 15 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 1.89 m on 26 November 2012 · 43 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 1.59 m · 37 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 0.95 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 1.87 m on 10 March 2016 · 27 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 1.06 m · 9 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 1.44 m · 26 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 0.90 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 1.72 m · 50 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 1.71 m · 33 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 1.08 m · 9 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 1.31 m · 23 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 2.26 m on 3 January 2024 · 78 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 1.89 m on 7 January 2025 · 33 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 1.60 m · 37 days above the normal range’97–98’06–07’23–24Record 2.71 m, 1998Top of normal range
1990–912025–26
The highest days on record
  • 10 April 19982.71 m
  • 21 July 20072.51 m
  • 3 January 20242.26 m
  • 10 February 20242.01 m
  • 7 January 20251.89 m
  • 26 November 20121.89 m

The River Avon has topped its normal range on 962 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 36.

Environment Agency Hydrology API, Stratford (station 2093), 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 Stratford-upon-Avon · 17 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 2 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 Stratford-upon-Avon (checked 13 November 2026, 07:26). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Stratford-upon-Avon
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 17 warnings, 10 were for River Avon at Barford, Hampton Lucy, Alveston and Tiddington and 7 for River Avon at Stratford upon Avon. 2012 had the most warnings (5); 2024 the most alerts (18).

The most recent warning was on 7 January 2025.

Show the 3 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
River Avon at Barford, Hampton Lucy, Alveston and TiddingtonWarning area10None
River Avon at Stratford upon AvonWarning area7None
Middle Avon Rugby to BidfordAlert area89None

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 Stratford-upon-Avon are in radon Affected Areas, at the low end

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).

SP1753: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP1754: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP1755: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP1756: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP1853: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP1854: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSP1855: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP1856: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP1953: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1954: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1955: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP1956: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP2053: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2054: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2055: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2056: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSP2153: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2154: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2155: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2254: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2255: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2354: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP2355: Under 1% of homes above the action level© OpenStreetMap contributors · BGS/UKHSA
Under 1%1–3%3–5%
Share of the town’s area in each band
Under 1% of homes44%
1–3% of homes20%
3–5% of homes36%

56% of Stratford-upon-Avon’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area (1% of homes or more above the action level).

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 Stratford-upon-Avon

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

Tiddington: Hazard risk B+Snitterfield: Hazard risk CWelford-on-Avon: Hazard risk C−Wellesbourne: Hazard risk DLower Quinton: Hazard risk AMeon Vale: Hazard risk ABarford: Hazard risk ATiddingtonSnitterfieldWelford-on-AvonWellesbourneLower QuintonMeon ValeBarfordStratford-upon-Avon
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Stratford-upon-Avon28,1122.9%2.4%C−
Tiddington1,6870%1.5%B+
Snitterfield1,0551.3%0.9%C
Welford-on-Avon1,6921.6%3.4%C−
Wellesbourne7,0154.6%2.5%D
Lower Quinton1,6910%0%A
Meon Vale1,4130%0%A
Barford1,4280%0%A

Wellesbourne, 5 miles east, has the most homes at risk around Stratford-upon-Avon (4.6% at high or medium).

Be ready

Get ready for what Stratford-upon-Avon 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.
  • Stratford-upon-Avon’s warning areas include River Avon at Stratford upon Avon and River Avon at Barford, Hampton Lucy, Alveston and Tiddington.
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 Stratford-upon-Avon
  • 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 Stratford-upon-Avon

Does Stratford-upon-Avon flood?

The last flood the Environment Agency recorded inside the town was in July 2007. 2.9% 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 7.3% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Stratford-upon-Avon grades C− for hazard risk against UK towns.

Which parts of Stratford-upon-Avon are at risk of flooding?

From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: River Avon at Barford, Hampton Lucy, Alveston and Tiddington and River Avon at Stratford upon Avon. 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 Stratford-upon-Avon 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 7 January 2025.

Is Stratford-upon-Avon at risk of surface water flooding?

About 3.4% of homes are at high risk and 3.8% at medium risk from surface water, against 2.9% 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 Stratford-upon-Avon?

56% of the town’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area on the BGS/UKHSA atlas. Most homes are below it; a three-month test is the only way to know.

Are there flood warnings in Stratford-upon-Avon now?

No flood warning or alert was in force near Stratford-upon-Avon at 13 November 2026, 07:26. 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.