Photo: habiloid · CC BY-SA 2.0Surface water, more than the river, is Huddersfield’s flood risk: 1.6% of homes, against 0.4% 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 Huddersfield at C+: #40 of 91 in West Yorkshire.
What stands out about Huddersfield’s hazards
From the Environment Agency’s maps and records and the BGS radon atlas, below.
What Huddersfield faces
Each hazard against its own yardstick; meters run from low to high on that yardstick.
Rivers and the sea
Surface water
Past floods
The River Colne
Flood warnings
Radon
Huddersfield grades C+ for hazard risk
Flood risk from rivers and the sea, against all 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.
Where the water goes in Huddersfield
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.
The river and sea risk follows the River Calder, the Walsden Water and the Hebden Water. Surface-water risk is spread across the city, in dips, underpasses and along small streams, which is why more homes are exposed to it.
0.4% of Huddersfield’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea
The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 1.9% are at low risk.
Share of each UK town’s homes at high or medium risk from rivers and the sea. 35% of UK towns have none; Huddersfield has more than 57% of towns.
| # | Town | People | High or med. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oldham Greater Manchester | 110,722 | 0% | |
| 2 | Birkenhead Merseyside | 109,854 | 0% | |
| 3 | Kensington and Chelsea London | 143,348 | under 0.1% | |
| … | ||||
| 17 | Telford Shropshire | 156,890 | 0.4% | |
| 18 | Rochdale Greater Manchester | 111,258 | 0.4% | |
| 19 | Huddersfield West Yorkshire | 141,683 | 0.4% | |
| 20 | St Helens Merseyside | 107,684 | 0.5% | |
| 21 | Peterborough Cambridgeshire | 190,592 | 0.5% | |
| … | ||||
| 49 | Oxford Oxfordshire | 170,799 | 4.7% | |
| 50 | Lincoln Lincolnshire | 104,553 | 6% | |
UK towns of 99,000 to 198,000 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.
Heavy rain puts about 3.7 times as many Huddersfield 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.
About 0.6% of homes are at high risk of surface-water flooding (a 1 in 30 chance or more each year) and 0.9% at medium risk: roughly 950 households. A further 3.4% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 18% of UK towns.
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.
Huddersfield has flooded in 4 recorded years since 1970, most of all in 2015
Every flood the Environment Agency has mapped inside Huddersfield’s built-up area, newest first. The record is fullest for big river floods; small and surface-water floods are often missing.
- 2022February 2022: River flooding recorded10 hectares inside today’s built-up area · February Flood Incident -Storm Dudley, Eunice and Franklin
- 2020February 2020: River flooding recorded4 hectares inside today’s built-up area · February Flood Incident - Storm Ciara/Dennis, February Flood Incident - Storm Dennis, February Flood Incident - Storm Ciara
- 2015December 2015: River flooding recorded31 hectares inside today’s built-up area
- 1970April 1970: River flooding recorded23 hectares inside today’s built-up area
Floodwater covered 31 hectares of what is now Huddersfield in 2015, the largest flood the record holds here (December).
199 of Huddersfield’s households today live inside the outline of a recorded flood.
Since 2015, the largest recorded flood inside the city covered 10 hectares.
The River Colne in January 2025 rose to its 5th-highest level since 1990
The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Colne Bridge gauge, since 1990. The river normally runs between 0.22 m and 1.00 m here.
- 9 February 20202.35 m
- 21 January 20082.31 m
- 20 February 20222.24 m
- 6 July 20122.14 m
- 1 January 20252.13 m
- 25 June 20072.04 m
The River Colne has topped its normal range on 388 days since 1990, most in the winters of 2019–20 and 2023–24. By its highest day, the winter of 2025–26 was the 20th-highest of the 36.
Environment Agency Hydrology API, Colne Bridge (station F1102), 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.
No flood warning or alert is in force for Huddersfield · 50 warnings in 20 years
The Environment Agency has 22 flood warning areas and 4 alert areas reaching into the city; warnings since the service began in 2006.
The warning area covering the most of Huddersfield, River Holme at Huddersfield - Primrose Hill and Lockwood, has not had a flood warning since 2006. Of the 50 warnings, 7 were for River Colne at Huddersfield - Syngenta Works and 7 for River Calder at Cooper Bridge.
2012 had the most warnings (16). The most recent warning was on 1 January 2025.
Show the 26 warning and alert areas
| Area | Kind | Since 2006 | Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Colne at Huddersfield - Syngenta Works | Warning area | 7 | None |
| River Calder at Cooper Bridge | Warning area | 7 | None |
| River Colne at Huddersfield - Springbank Road and Queens Square | Warning area | 6 | None |
| River Calder at Bradley | Warning area | 5 | None |
| Fenay Beck at Spa Bottom | Warning area | 5 | None |
| Fenay Beck at Fenay Bridge | Warning area | 5 | None |
| River Colne at Bradley Mills - St John Stadium | Warning area | 4 | None |
| River Colne at Cowlersley | Warning area | 4 | None |
| River Colne at Turnbridge and Southgate | Warning area | 2 | None |
| River Colne at Huddersfield | Warning area | 2 | None |
| River Colne at Foley Hall and Aspley | Warning area | 1 | None |
| River Colne at Hillhouse and Colne Bridge | Warning area | 1 | None |
| Longwood Beck at Longwood | Warning area | 1 | None |
| Fenay Beck at Dalton | Warning area | 0 | None |
| River Holme at Huddersfield - Primrose Hill and Lockwood | Warning area | 0 | None |
| River Holme at Armitage Bridge | Warning area | 0 | None |
| Fenay Beck at Waterloo | Warning area | 0 | None |
| River Holme at Taylor Hill | Warning area | 0 | None |
| Grimescar Dike at Birkby | Warning area | 0 | None |
| Allison Dike at Hillhouse | Warning area | 0 | None |
| River Colne at Milnsbridge | Warning area | 0 | None |
| River Colne at Thornton Lodge | Warning area | 0 | None |
| Upper River Calder catchment | Alert area | 149 | None |
| Lower River Calder catchment | Alert area | 77 | None |
| River Colne and Fenay Beck Catchments | Alert area | 39 | None |
| River Holme Catchment | Alert area | 10 | None |
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.
Parts of Huddersfield 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).
81% of Huddersfield’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area (1% of homes or more above the action level), and 18% in squares of 5% or more, mostly on the south 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.
Flood risk in the places around Huddersfield
Share of homes at high or medium and at low risk from rivers and the sea. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | High or medium | Low | Hazard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huddersfield | 141,683 | 0.4% | 1.9% | C+ |
| Netherton (Kirklees) | 3,151 | 0.1% | 0% | B |
| Kirkheaton | 3,492 | 0% | 0% | A |
| Elland | 15,788 | 0.3% | 0.2% | B− |
| Outlane | 1,172 | 0% | 0% | A |
| Lepton | 4,950 | 0% | 0.3% | B+ |
| Linthwaite and Slaithwaite | 9,242 | 1.1% | 1.1% | C |
| Holywell Green and Stainland | 2,799 | under 0.1% | 0% | B |
Linthwaite and Slaithwaite, 3.6 miles south-west, has the most homes at risk around Huddersfield (1.1% at high or medium). Kirkheaton, Outlane and Lepton have none.
Get ready for what Huddersfield faces
Free warnings, what to do in a cloudburst, and what to check before you move.
- Sign up free for Environment Agency flood warnings by text, call or email.
- Floodline: 0345 988 1188, 24 hours.
- Huddersfield’s warning areas include River Colne at Hillhouse and Colne Bridge and River Colne at Huddersfield - Syngenta Works.
- 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.
- 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%.
- 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.
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.
Questions about flooding and hazards in Huddersfield
Does Huddersfield flood?
The last flood the Environment Agency recorded inside the city was in February 2022. 0.4% 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 1.6% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Huddersfield grades C+ for hazard risk against UK towns.
Which parts of Huddersfield are at risk of flooding?
From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: River Colne at Huddersfield - Syngenta Works, River Calder at Cooper Bridge, River Colne at Huddersfield - Springbank Road and Queens Square and River Calder at Bradley. 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 Huddersfield last flood?
The recorded flood outlines inside the city run from 1970 to 2022 (4 years); the largest was in 2015. Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the city since 2006, most recently on 1 January 2025.
Is Huddersfield at risk of surface water flooding?
About 0.6% of homes are at high risk and 0.9% at medium risk from surface water, against 0.4% 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 Huddersfield?
81% of the city’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area on the BGS/UKHSA atlas, and 18% 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 Huddersfield now?
No flood warning or alert was in force near Huddersfield at 12 November 2026, 12:36. 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.