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Commercial Street, BatleyPhoto: Mtaylor848 · CC BY-SA 3.0
BHazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Batley · Environment Agency

Surface water, more than the river, is Batley’s flood risk: 3.4% of homes, against under 0.1% 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. For hazard risk, Batley grades B: #24 of 91 in West Yorkshire.

16flood warnings since 2006100%in a radon Affected Area
In brief

What stands out about Batley’s hazards

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

Rain, more than the river3.4% of homes sit where heavy rain can flood the streets, against under 0.1% at risk from rivers and the sea.16 flood warnings since 2006For the parts of Batley the Environment Agency warns directly; the most recent on 18 June 2024.Radon in parts89% of the town is in 1 km squares where 5% or more of homes may be above the radon action level.
By hazard

What Batley faces

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

Rivers and the sea

under 0.1%of homes at high or medium risk
Fewer than the typical UK town · more than 39% of towns
11 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

3.4%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 47% of UK towns
About 590 households

Past floods

1years with a recorded flood
Last recorded: November 2019

The Batley Beck

2.18 mhighest in winter 2025–26 at Batley Savile Street
21st-highest of 30 winters
Record 3.01 m, February 2020

Flood warnings

16flood warnings since 2006
55 flood alerts for the wider area
Last warning 18 June 2024

Radon

100%of the town in a radon Affected Area
Highest band here: 5–10% of homes
89% 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

Batley grades B for hazard risk

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

Homes at high or medium flood risk (under 0.1%)Fewer than 60% 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 Batley

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: 2019© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterBatley’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the Batley Beck, the Chickenley Beck and the Lands 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

Under 0.1% of Batley’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 0.5% are at low risk.

High risk0%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more0 homes, EA count
Medium riskunder 0.1%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 10011 homes, EA count
Low risk0.5%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000106 homes, EA count
Where Batley sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%Batley
9%0.5–1%
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; Batley has more than 39% of towns.

Towns its size: 36th of 170 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Smethwick West Midlands56,3430%
2Bootle Merseyside53,7220%
3Bloxwich West Midlands51,8910%
…
34Kingswinford West Midlands51,900under 0.1%
35Hatfield Hertfordshire41,561under 0.1%
36Batley West Yorkshire44,494under 0.1%
37Arnold Nottinghamshire40,016under 0.1%
38Whitley Bay Tyne and Wear36,876under 0.1%
…
169Exmouth Devon35,5029.8%
170Caversham Berkshire33,03813%

UK towns of 31,000 to 62,000 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

3.4% of Batley’s homes are at high or medium risk from surface water

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 water3.4%
Rivers and the seaunder 0.1%
0%7%14% of homes

About 1.8% of homes are at high risk of surface-water flooding (a 1 in 30 chance or more each year) and 1.6% at medium risk: roughly 590 households. A further 4.9% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 47% of UK towns.

~590
households at high or medium risk
4.9%
of homes at low risk
47%
of UK towns have a smaller share
23,730
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

Batley has flooded in 1 recorded year since 2019

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

  1. 2019November 2019: River flooding recordedUnder 1 hectare inside today’s built-up area · November Flood Incident
River levels

The Batley Beck at Batley Savile Street: highest 3.01 m, in February 2020

The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Batley Savile Street gauge, since 1996. The river normally runs between 0.27 m and 2.00 m here.

Highest level each winter, metres
Winter 1996–97: highest 2.21 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 2.41 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 2.32 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 1.79 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2000–01: highest 2.15 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 2.74 m on 30 July 2002 · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 1.39 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 2.36 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 1.70 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 2.18 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 2.37 m · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 2.56 m on 6 September 2008 · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 2.01 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 2.17 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 2.71 m on 3 October 2010 · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 2.38 m · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 2.28 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 1.54 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 2.12 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 2.39 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 2.28 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 2.54 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 1.71 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 3.01 m on 9 February 2020 · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 2.61 m on 6 February 2021 · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 2.65 m on 20 February 2022 · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 2.77 m on 18 June 2023 · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 2.60 m on 20 October 2023 · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 2.51 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 2.18 m · 1 days above the normal range’19–20’22–23’01–02Record 3.01 m, 2020Top of normal range
1996–972025–26
The highest days on record
  • 9 February 20203.01 m
  • 18 June 20232.77 m
  • 30 July 20022.74 m
  • 3 October 20102.71 m
  • 20 February 20222.65 m
  • 6 February 20212.61 m

The Batley Beck has topped its normal range on 53 days since 1996, most in the winters of 2006–07 and 2019–20. By its highest day, the winter of 2025–26 was the 21st-highest of the 30.

Environment Agency Hydrology API, Batley Savile Street (station L1374), 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 Batley · 16 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 4 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 Batley (checked 7 November 2026, 10:28). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Batley
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 16 warnings, 9 were for Batley Beck at Bradford Road through central Batley and 5 for Batley Beck at Carlinghow and Crossbank. 2023 had the most warnings (5); 2015 the most alerts (10).

The most recent warning was on 18 June 2024.

Show the 5 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
Batley Beck at Bradford Road through central BatleyWarning area9None
Batley Beck at Carlinghow and CrossbankWarning area5None
Batley Beck at central Batley and surrounding areasWarning area2None
Batley Beck from Monk Ings to Wilton ParkWarning area0None
River Spen and Batley Beck catchmentsAlert area55None

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 Batley are in radon Affected Areas, up to the 5–10% 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).

SE2124: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2125: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2126: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2223: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2224: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2225: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE2226: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2227: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2322: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2323: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2324: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2325: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2326: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2327: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2422: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2423: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2424: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2425: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2426: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2427: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2522: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2523: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2524: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2623: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE2624: 5–10% of homes above the action level© OpenStreetMap contributors · BGS/UKHSA
3–5%5–10%
Share of the town’s area in each band
3–5% of homes11%
5–10% of homes89%

100% of Batley’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area (1% of homes or more above the action level), and 89% in squares of 5% or more.

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 Batley

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

Heckmondwike: Hazard risk C+Dewsbury: Hazard risk CLiversedge: Hazard risk DDrighlington: Hazard risk AMorley: Hazard risk BGomersal and Birkenshaw: Hazard risk AGildersome: Hazard risk AHeckmondwikeDewsburyLiversedgeDrighlingtonMorleyGomersal and BirkenshawGildersomeBatley
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Batley44,494under 0.1%0.5%B
Heckmondwike13,3680.6%0.1%C+
Dewsbury63,7301.2%8.2%C
Liversedge17,5193.4%1.2%D
Drighlington5,2800%0%A
Morley32,5620.1%under 0.1%B
Gomersal and Birkenshaw13,9480%0%A
Gildersome6,2780%0%A

Liversedge, 2.5 miles west, has the most homes at risk around Batley (3.4% at high or medium). Drighlington, Gomersal and Birkenshaw and Gildersome have none.

Be ready

Get ready for what Batley 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.
  • Batley’s warning areas include Batley Beck at central Batley and surrounding areas and Batley Beck at Carlinghow and Crossbank.
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 Batley
  • 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 Batley

Does Batley flood?

The last flood the Environment Agency recorded inside the town was in November 2019. Under 0.1% 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 3.4% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Batley grades B for hazard risk against UK towns.

Which parts of Batley are at risk of flooding?

From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: Batley Beck at Bradford Road through central Batley, Batley Beck at Carlinghow and Crossbank, Batley Beck at central Batley and surrounding areas and Batley Beck from Monk Ings to Wilton Park. 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 Batley last flood?

The recorded flood outlines inside the town run from 2019 to 2019 (1 years); the largest was in 2019. Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the town since 2006, most recently on 18 June 2024.

Is Batley at risk of surface water flooding?

About 1.8% of homes are at high risk and 1.6% at medium risk from surface water, against under 0.1% 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 Batley?

100% of the town’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area on the BGS/UKHSA atlas, and 89% 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 Batley now?

No flood warning or alert was in force near Batley at 7 November 2026, 10:28. 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.