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CHazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Solihull · Environment Agency

Heavy rain is Solihull’s main flood risk: 6.2% of homes, against 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. Solihull grades C for hazard risk: #29 of 35 in West Midlands.

13flood warnings since 20060.7%at low risk
In brief

What stands out about Solihull’s hazards

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

Rain, more than the river6.2% of homes sit where heavy rain can flood the streets, against 1% at risk from rivers and the sea.13 flood warnings since 2006For the parts of Solihull the Environment Agency warns directly; the most recent on 20 October 2023.Low radonEvery 1 km square over Solihull is in the lowest radon band: under 1% of homes above the action level.
By hazard

What Solihull faces

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

Rivers and the sea

1%of homes at high or medium risk
More than the typical UK town · more than 68% of towns
470 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

6.2%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 79% of UK towns
Rivers and sea: 1%

The River Blythe

1.41 mhighest in winter 2025–26 at Cheswick Green
12th-highest of 26 winters
Record 1.73 m, May 2018

Flood warnings

13flood warnings since 2006
340 flood alerts for the wider area
Last warning 20 October 2023

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

Solihull grades C for hazard risk

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

Homes at high or medium flood risk (1%)Fewer than 32% 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 Solihull

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 waterSolihull’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the River Cole and the River Blythe. 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

1% of Solihull’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 0.7% are at low risk.

High risk0.6%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more289 homes, EA count
Medium risk0.4%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 100181 homes, EA count
Low risk0.7%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000334 homes, EA count
Where Solihull sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%
9%0.5–1%Solihull
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; Solihull has more than 68% of towns.

Towns its size: 47th of 74 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Oldham Greater Manchester110,7220%
2Birkenhead Merseyside109,8540%
3Kensington and Chelsea London143,348under 0.1%
…
45Halifax West Yorkshire88,1110.9%
46Blackburn Lancashire124,9580.9%
47Solihull West Midlands107,7541%
48Basingstoke Hampshire117,2111%
49Cheltenham Gloucestershire115,9411%
…
73Lincoln Lincolnshire104,5536%
74Grimsby Lincolnshire85,9158.9%

UK towns of 75,000 to 151,000 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 6.3 times as many Solihull 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 water6.2%
Rivers and the sea1%
0%10.5%21% of homes

About 3.2% 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 2,800 households. A further 8.5% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 79% of UK towns.

~2,800
households at high or medium risk
8.5%
of homes at low risk
79%
of UK towns have a smaller share
53,244
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.

River levels

The River Blythe at Cheswick Green: highest 1.73 m, in May 2018

The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Cheswick Green gauge (Cheswick Green), since 2000. The river normally runs between 0.19 m and 0.55 m here.

Highest level each winter, metres
Winter 2000–01: highest 1.54 m on 30 October 2000 · 61 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 1.09 m · 13 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 1.23 m · 25 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 1.20 m · 14 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 1.30 m · 14 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 1.13 m · 37 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 1.65 m on 20 July 2007 · 79 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 1.42 m · 39 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 1.38 m · 36 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 1.33 m · 29 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 1.22 m · 16 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 1.42 m · 32 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 1.62 m on 25 November 2012 · 45 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 1.32 m · 51 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 1.07 m · 22 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 1.42 m · 80 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 1.19 m · 36 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 1.73 m on 27 May 2018 · 44 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 1.42 m · 24 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 1.54 m on 14 November 2019 · 68 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 1.33 m · 99 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 1.35 m · 83 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 1.32 m · 96 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 1.56 m on 20 October 2023 · 125 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 1.48 m · 56 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 1.41 m · 95 days above the normal range’17–18’06–07’12–13Record 1.73 m, 2018Top of normal range
2000–012025–26
The highest days on record
  • 27 May 20181.73 m
  • 20 July 20071.65 m
  • 25 November 20121.62 m
  • 20 October 20231.56 m
  • 30 October 20001.54 m
  • 14 November 20191.54 m

The River Blythe has topped its normal range on 1,319 days since 2000, most in the winters of 2023–24 and 2020–21. By its highest day, the winter of 2025–26 was the 12th-highest of the 26.

Environment Agency Hydrology API, Cheswick Green (station 4129), 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 Solihull · 13 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 2 flood warning areas and 2 alert areas reaching into the city; warnings since the service began in 2006.

Now: no flood warnings or alerts for Solihull (checked 5 November 2026, 16:07). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Solihull
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 13 warnings, 8 were for River Cole at Solihull Lodge and 5 for River Blythe at Widney Manor, Brueton Park and Eastcote. 2012 had the most warnings (3); 2024 the most alerts (46).

The most recent warning was on 20 October 2023.

Show the 4 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
River Cole at Solihull LodgeWarning area8None
River Blythe at Widney Manor, Brueton Park and EastcoteWarning area5None
River Blythe in WarwickshireAlert area194None
River ColeAlert area146None

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

Solihull 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).

SP0978: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP0979: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1077: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1078: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1079: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1176: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1177: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1178: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1179: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1180: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1181: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1277: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1278: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1279: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1280: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1281: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1282: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1374: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1375: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1376: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1377: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1378: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1379: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1380: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1381: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1382: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1383: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1384: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1474: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1475: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1476: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1477: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1478: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1479: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1480: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1481: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1482: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1483: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1484: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1576: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1577: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1578: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1579: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1580: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1581: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1582: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1583: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1677: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1678: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1679: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1680: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1681: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1682: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1683: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1779: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1780: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSP1782: 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 Solihull 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 Solihull

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

Cheswick Green: Hazard risk C−Dickens Heath: Hazard risk AKnowle and Dorridge: Hazard risk BTidbury Green: Hazard risk AHollywood: Hazard risk C−Wythall: Hazard risk BHampton in Arden: Hazard risk B−Cheswick GreenDickens HeathKnowle and DorridgeTidbury GreenHollywoodWythallHampton in ArdenSolihull
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Solihull107,7541%0.7%C
Cheswick Green2,7432%5%C−
Dickens Heath4,7970%0%A
Knowle and Dorridge19,3230.1%0.3%B
Tidbury Green1,5520%0%A
Hollywood6,9441.8%1.3%C−
Wythall2,0770.1%0.2%B
Hampton in Arden1,8670.1%0.7%B−

Cheswick Green, 2.9 miles south, has the most homes at risk around Solihull (2% at high or medium). Dickens Heath and Tidbury Green have none.

Be ready

Get ready for what Solihull 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.
  • Solihull’s warning areas include River Cole at Solihull Lodge and River Blythe at Widney Manor, Brueton Park and Eastcote.
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 Solihull
  • 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 Solihull

Does Solihull flood?

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 6.2% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Solihull grades C for hazard risk against UK towns.

Which parts of Solihull are at risk of flooding?

From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: River Cole at Solihull Lodge and River Blythe at Widney Manor, Brueton Park and Eastcote. Surface water can collect in low spots anywhere in the city. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s long-term flood risk service.

Is Solihull at risk of surface water flooding?

About 3.2% of homes are at high risk and 3% at medium risk from surface water, against 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 Solihull?

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

No flood warning or alert was in force near Solihull at 5 November 2026, 16:07. 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.