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Carlton Street, CastlefordPhoto: Mtaylor848 · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Castleford · Environment Agency

In Castleford, heavy rain puts more homes at risk than rivers or the sea: 5.7%, against 0.6%

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. Castleford grades C+ for hazard risk: #45 of 91 in West Yorkshire.

1978worst recorded flood10flood warnings since 200694%in a radon Affected Area
In brief

What stands out about Castleford’s hazards

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

Rain, more than the river5.7% of homes sit where heavy rain can flood the streets, against 0.6% at risk from rivers and the sea.Remembers 1978Floodwater covered 13 hectares of today’s Castleford in 1978; 298 of today’s households live inside past flood outlines.The River Calder ran its 4th-highest in January 20253.67 m at Methley on 1 January 2025, 2 cm under the record set in 2022.10 flood warnings since 2006For the parts of Castleford the Environment Agency warns directly; the most recent on 20 October 2023.
By hazard

What Castleford faces

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

Rivers and the sea

0.6%of homes at high or medium risk
More than the typical UK town · more than 60% of towns
140 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

5.7%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 75% of UK towns
Rivers and sea: 0.6%

Past floods

9years with a recorded flood
Last recorded: January 2021
298 households inside past outlines

The River Calder

3.44 mhighest in winter 2025–26 at Methley
16th-highest of 36 winters
Record 3.69 m, February 2022

Flood warnings

10flood warnings since 2006
143 flood alerts for the wider area
Last warning 20 October 2023

Radon

94%of the town in a radon Affected Area
Highest band here: 5–10% of homes
21% 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

Castleford 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 Castleford

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: 1978Recorded flood: 1982Recorded flood: 1995Recorded flood: 2000River Calder: 2002Recorded flood: 2007Recorded flood: 2015Recorded flood: 2020Recorded flood: 2021© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterCastleford’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the River Aire, the Bradford Beck and the River Calder. 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

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

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 4.4% are at low risk.

High risk0.2%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more51 homes, EA count
Medium risk0.3%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 10089 homes, EA count
Low risk4.4%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,0001,064 homes, EA count
Where Castleford sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%
9%0.5–1%Castleford
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; Castleford has more than 60% of towns.

Towns its size: 86th of 165 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Smethwick West Midlands56,3430%
2Bootle Merseyside53,7220%
3Bloxwich West Midlands51,8910%
…
84Royal Leamington Spa Warwickshire51,3210.5%
85Braintree Essex43,1790.5%
86Castleford West Yorkshire45,3630.6%
87Stourbridge West Midlands56,9610.6%
88Lytham St Anne's Lancashire42,6930.6%
…
164Exmouth Devon35,5029.8%
165Caversham Berkshire33,03813%

UK towns of 32,000 to 64,000 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 10.2 times as many Castleford 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 water5.7%
Rivers and the sea0.6%
0%10.5%21% of homes

About 2.9% of homes are at high risk of surface-water flooding (a 1 in 30 chance or more each year) and 2.8% at medium risk: roughly 1,140 households. A further 8.3% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 75% of UK towns.

~1,140
households at high or medium risk
8.3%
of homes at low risk
75%
of UK towns have a smaller share
23,978
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

Castleford has flooded in 9 recorded years since 1978, most of all in 1978

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

  1. 2021January 2021: River flooding recordedUnder 1 hectare inside today’s built-up area · January Flood Incident - Storm Christoph
  2. 2020February 2020: River flooding recorded2 hectares inside today’s built-up area · February Flood Incident - Storm Ciara/Dennis, February Flood Incident - Storm Dennis
  3. 2015December 2015: River flooding recorded2 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  4. 2007June 2007: River flooding recorded8 hectares inside today’s built-up area · Flood (Ridings Area, Surface Water Flooding Yorkshire
  5. 2002February 2002: The River Calder overflowedUnder 1 hectare inside today’s built-up area · Lower Aire. Allerton Ings, River Calder. Wakefield to Aire-Calder Confluence
  6. 2000October 2000: River flooding recorded3 hectares inside today’s built-up area
Show all 9
  1. 1995February 1995: River flooding recorded3 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  2. 1982January 1982: River flooding recorded2 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  3. 1978December 1978: River flooding recorded13 hectares inside today’s built-up area
The worst: 197813 ha

Floodwater covered 13 hectares of what is now Castleford in 1978, the largest flood the record holds here (December).

298 of Castleford’s households today live inside the outline of a recorded flood.

Since 1978, the largest recorded flood inside the town covered 8 hectares.

River levels

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

The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Methley gauge (Whitwood), since 1990. The river normally runs between 1.10 m and 3.10 m here.

Highest level each winter, metres
Winter 1990–91: highest 3.13 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 1991–92: highest 3.41 m · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 1992–93: highest 3.33 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 1993–94: highest 3.36 m · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 1994–95: highest 3.42 m · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 2.13 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1996–97: highest 3.06 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 3.44 m · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 3.27 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 3.40 m · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2000–01: highest 3.54 m · 8 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 3.45 m · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 3.45 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 3.36 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 2.99 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 2.59 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 3.64 m on 26 June 2007 · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 3.61 m · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 2.97 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 3.27 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 3.35 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 3.63 m on 23 June 2012 · 11 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 3.22 m · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 2.83 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 3.38 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 3.68 m on 27 December 2015 · 9 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 3.44 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 3.55 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 3.58 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 3.63 m on 10 February 2020 · 13 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 3.63 m on 21 January 2021 · 7 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 3.69 m on 21 February 2022 · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 2.91 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 3.69 m on 21 October 2023 · 8 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 3.67 m on 1 January 2025 · 7 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 3.44 m · 2 days above the normal range’21–22’23–24’15–16Record 3.69 m, 2022Top of normal range
1990–912025–26
The highest days on record
  • 21 February 20223.69 m
  • 21 October 20233.69 m
  • 27 December 20153.68 m
  • 1 January 20253.67 m
  • 26 June 20073.64 m
  • 10 February 20203.63 m

The River Calder has topped its normal range on 131 days since 1990, most in the winters of 2019–20 and 2011–12. By its highest day, the winter of 2025–26 was the 16th-highest of the 36.

Environment Agency Hydrology API, Methley (station F1301), 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 Castleford · 10 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 4 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 Castleford (checked 12 November 2026, 08:24). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Castleford
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 Castleford, River Aire at Central Castleford, has not had a flood warning since 2006. Of the 10 warnings, 5 were for River Calder at Whitwood Mere and 3 for River Aire at Castleford Lock Lane.

2023 had the most warnings (3); 2012 the most alerts (20). The most recent warning was on 20 October 2023.

Show the 6 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
River Calder at Whitwood MereWarning area5None
River Aire at Castleford Lock LaneWarning area3None
River Calder at Whitwood Mere and Methley riverside propertiesWarning area2None
River Aire at Central CastlefordWarning area0None
Lower River Calder catchmentAlert area77None
Middle River Aire catchmentAlert area66None

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 Castleford 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).

SE4023: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE4024: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE4025: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE4123: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE4124: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE4125: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE4126: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE4223: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE4224: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE4225: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE4226: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE4323: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE4324: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE4325: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE4326: Under 1% of homes above the action levelSE4423: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE4424: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE4425: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE4426: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE4524: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE4525: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE4526: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE4527: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE4624: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE4625: 1–3% of homes above the action levelSE4626: 1–3% of homes above the action level© OpenStreetMap contributors · BGS/UKHSA
Under 1%1–3%3–5%5–10%
Share of the town’s area in each band
Under 1% of homes6%
1–3% of homes24%
3–5% of homes49%
5–10% of homes21%

94% of Castleford’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area (1% of homes or more above the action level), and 21% in squares of 5% or more, mostly on the south-west 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 Castleford

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

Allerton Bywater: Hazard risk DPontefract: Hazard risk CMethley: Hazard risk B−Mickletown: Hazard risk C−Featherstone: Hazard risk CHolmfield: Hazard risk DByram: Hazard risk AAllerton BywaterPontefractMethleyMickletownFeatherstoneHolmfieldByramCastleford
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Castleford45,3630.6%4.4%C+
Allerton Bywater6,9586.8%5.1%D
Pontefract32,9820.9%0.5%C
Methley1,1960.2%5%B−
Mickletown3,3621.6%3%C−
Featherstone11,6571.3%3.8%C
Holmfield4,1503.2%0.9%D
Byram1,4360%0%A

Allerton Bywater, 2.5 miles north-west, has the most homes at risk around Castleford (6.8% at high or medium). Byram has none.

Be ready

Get ready for what Castleford 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.
  • Castleford’s warning areas include River Calder at Whitwood Mere and River Aire at Central Castleford.
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 Castleford
  • 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 Castleford

Does Castleford flood?

The last flood the Environment Agency recorded inside the town was in January 2021. 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 5.7% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Castleford grades C+ for hazard risk against UK towns.

Which parts of Castleford are at risk of flooding?

From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: River Calder at Whitwood Mere, River Aire at Castleford Lock Lane, River Calder at Whitwood Mere and Methley riverside properties and River Aire at Central Castleford. 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 Castleford last flood?

The recorded flood outlines inside the town run from 1978 to 2021 (9 years); the largest was in 1978. Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the town since 2006, most recently on 20 October 2023.

Is Castleford at risk of surface water flooding?

About 2.9% of homes are at high risk and 2.8% 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 Castleford?

94% of the town’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area on the BGS/UKHSA atlas, and 21% 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 Castleford now?

No flood warning or alert was in force near Castleford at 12 November 2026, 08:24. 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.