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A view over Keighley (31st July 2010)Photo: Tim Green atouch · CC BY 2.0
C−Hazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Keighley · Environment Agency

Surface water, more than the river, is Keighley’s flood risk: 4.9% of homes, against 1.6% 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 Keighley at C−: #70 of 91 in West Yorkshire.

2015worst recorded flood8flood warnings since 2006100%in a radon Affected Area
In brief

What stands out about Keighley’s hazards

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

Rain, more than the river4.9% of homes sit where heavy rain can flood the streets, against 1.6% at risk from rivers and the sea.Remembers 2015Floodwater covered 51 hectares of today’s Keighley in 2015; 409 of today’s households live inside past flood outlines.8 flood warnings since 2006For the parts of Keighley the Environment Agency warns directly; the most recent on 9 February 2020.Radon in parts10% of the town is in 1 km squares where 5% or more of homes may be above the radon action level.
By hazard

What Keighley faces

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

Rivers and the sea

1.6%of homes at high or medium risk
More than the typical UK town · more than 76% of towns
343 homes by the EA’s own count

Surface water

4.9%of homes at high or medium risk
More than 68% of UK towns
Rivers and sea: 1.6%

Past floods

8years with a recorded flood
Last recorded: February 2020
409 households inside past outlines

The River Worth

1.11 mhighest in winter 2025–26 at Keighley
34th-highest of 36 winters
Record 2.17 m, December 2015

Flood warnings

8flood warnings since 2006
166 flood alerts for the wider area
Last warning 9 February 2020

Radon

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

Keighley grades C− for hazard risk

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

Homes at high or medium flood risk (1.6%)Fewer than 24% 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 Keighley

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 Aire: 2002Recorded flood: 2004Recorded flood: 2015Recorded flood: 2020© OpenStreetMap contributors · EA NaFRA2
HighMediumLowrivers & seaHighMediumLowsurface waterKeighley’s built-up area

The river and sea risk follows the River Worth, the River Aire and the Eller 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

1.6% of Keighley’s homes are at high or medium risk from rivers or the sea

The Environment Agency’s national map, allowing for defences. A further 1.7% are at low risk.

High risk0.1%of homes · 1 in 30 a year or more29 homes, EA count
Medium risk1.5%of homes · 1 in 30 to 1 in 100314 homes, EA count
Low risk1.7%of homes · 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000401 homes, EA count
Where Keighley sits among 3,735 UK towns
35%None
23%Under 0.5%
9%0.5–1%
11%1–2%Keighley
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; Keighley has more than 76% of towns.

Towns its size: 119th of 149 from the fewest homes at risk
#TownPeopleHigh or med.
1Dudley West Midlands64,2770%
2Smethwick West Midlands56,3430%
3Bootle Merseyside53,7220%
…
117Altrincham Greater Manchester49,6721.6%
118Merthyr Tydfil Mid Glamorgan39,5421.6%
119Keighley West Yorkshire48,7541.6%
120Oldbury West Midlands45,1881.7%
121Weymouth Dorset55,5401.7%
…
148Tonbridge Kent36,1367.9%
149Exmouth Devon35,5029.8%

UK towns of 34,000 to 68,000 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 3 times as many Keighley 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 water4.9%
Rivers and the sea1.6%
0%7%14% of homes

About 1.9% 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 960 households. A further 8.3% face a low risk from surface water. That is more than 68% of UK towns.

~960
households at high or medium risk
8.3%
of homes at low risk
68%
of UK towns have a smaller share
29,048
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

Keighley has flooded in 8 recorded years since 1978, most of all in 2015

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

  1. 2020February 2020: River flooding recordedUnder 1 hectare inside today’s built-up area · February Flood Incident - Storm Ciara
  2. 2015December 2015: River flooding recorded51 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  3. 2004August 2004: River flooding recorded1 hectare inside today’s built-up area
  4. 2002February 2002: The River Aire overflowed12 hectares inside today’s built-up area · River Aire. Kildwick to Stockbridge, Lower Aire
  5. 2000October 2000: River flooding recorded34 hectares inside today’s built-up area
  6. 1995February 1995: River flooding recorded2 hectares inside today’s built-up area
Show all 8
  1. 1982January 1982: River flooding recorded1 hectare inside today’s built-up area
  2. 1978December 1978: River flooding recorded7 hectares inside today’s built-up area
The worst: 201551 ha

Floodwater covered 51 hectares of what is now Keighley in 2015, the largest flood the record holds here (December).

409 of Keighley’s households today live inside the outline of a recorded flood.

Since 2015, the largest recorded flood inside the town covered under 1 hectare.

River levels

The River Worth at Keighley: highest 2.17 m, in December 2015

The highest level each winter (October to September) at the Environment Agency’s Keighley gauge, since 1990. The river normally runs between 0.22 m and 1.27 m here.

Highest level each winter, metres
Winter 1990–91: highest 1.23 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1991–92: highest 1.77 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 1992–93: highest 1.34 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 1993–94: highest 1.50 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 1994–95: highest 1.43 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 0.89 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1996–97: highest 1.10 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 1.36 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 1.62 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 1.77 m · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2000–01: highest 1.96 m on 1 November 2000 · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 1.85 m on 11 February 2002 · 9 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 1.29 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 2.15 m on 10 August 2004 · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 1.31 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 1.16 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 1.43 m · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 1.78 m on 21 January 2008 · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 1.44 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 1.42 m · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 1.39 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 1.61 m · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 1.29 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 1.15 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 1.44 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 2.17 m on 26 December 2015 · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 1.29 m · 1 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 1.31 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 1.48 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 2.12 m on 9 February 2020 · 6 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 1.42 m · 3 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 1.62 m · 2 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 1.12 m · 0 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 1.47 m · 5 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 1.56 m · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 1.11 m · 0 days above the normal range’15–16’03–04’19–20Record 2.17 m, 2015Top of normal range
1990–912025–26
The highest days on record
  • 26 December 20152.17 m
  • 10 August 20042.15 m
  • 9 February 20202.12 m
  • 1 November 20001.96 m
  • 12 December 20151.91 m
  • 11 February 20021.85 m

The River Worth has topped its normal range on 92 days since 1990, most in the winters of 2001–02 and 1999–00. By its highest day, the winter of 2025–26 was the 34th-highest of the 36.

Environment Agency Hydrology API, Keighley (station F1403), 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 Keighley · 8 warnings in 20 years

The Environment Agency has 5 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 Keighley (checked 12 November 2026, 21:18). Check for flooding on GOV.UK →
Warnings and alerts each year for areas in Keighley
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 8 warnings, 2 were for River Worth at Worth Village and Aireworth and 2 for River Worth at Damems Road to Keighley Railway Station. 2015 had the most warnings (5).

The most recent warning was on 9 February 2020.

Show the 7 warning and alert areas
AreaKindSince 2006Now
River Worth at Damems Road to Keighley Railway StationWarning area2None
River Worth at Worth Village and AireworthWarning area2None
North Beck at Holme Mill Lane to Worth WayWarning area2None
River Aire at Stockbridge and KeighleyWarning area1None
River Aire at Stockbridge and Keighley - Garforth RoadWarning area1None
Upper River Aire catchmentAlert area140None
River Worth catchmentAlert area26None

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 Keighley 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).

SE0339: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0341: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0438: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE0439: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0440: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0441: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0442: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0443: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0538: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE0539: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0540: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE0541: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0542: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0543: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0639: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0640: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0641: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0642: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0643: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0740: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0741: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0742: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0743: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0840: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0841: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0842: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0940: 5–10% of homes above the action levelSE0941: 3–5% of homes above the action levelSE0942: 3–5% 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 homes90%
5–10% of homes10%

100% of Keighley’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area (1% of homes or more above the action level), and 10% in squares of 5% or more, mostly on the south 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 Keighley

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

Oakworth: Hazard risk C−Harden: Hazard risk DEast Morton: Hazard risk BHaworth: Hazard risk C+Cullingworth: Hazard risk C−Steeton: Hazard risk B−Silsden: Hazard risk C−OakworthHardenEast MortonHaworthCullingworthSteetonSilsdenKeighley
ABCD
TownPeopleHigh or mediumLowHazard
Keighley48,7541.6%1.7%C−
Oakworth3,6882.6%2%C−
Harden1,6025.5%2.6%D
East Morton1,227under 0.1%0.2%B
Haworth5,6800.4%1%C+
Cullingworth3,0962.9%4.9%C−
Steeton5,0190.2%2.1%B−
Silsden8,3921.7%1.4%C−

Harden, 2.2 miles south-east, has the most homes at risk around Keighley (5.5% at high or medium).

Be ready

Get ready for what Keighley 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.
  • Keighley’s warning areas include River Aire at Stockbridge and Keighley and River Worth at Worth Village and Aireworth.
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 Keighley
  • 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 Keighley

Does Keighley flood?

The last flood the Environment Agency recorded inside the town was in February 2020. 1.6% 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 4.9% of homes are at high or medium risk from surface water, when heavy rain overwhelms the drains. Keighley grades C− for hazard risk against UK towns.

Which parts of Keighley are at risk of flooding?

From rivers and the sea, the places the Environment Agency warns directly: River Worth at Worth Village and Aireworth, River Worth at Damems Road to Keighley Railway Station, North Beck at Holme Mill Lane to Worth Way and River Aire at Stockbridge and Keighley. 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 Keighley last flood?

The recorded flood outlines inside the town run from 1978 to 2020 (8 years); the largest was in 2015. Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the town since 2006, most recently on 9 February 2020.

Is Keighley at risk of surface water flooding?

About 1.9% of homes are at high risk and 3% at medium risk from surface water, against 1.6% 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 Keighley?

100% of the town’s built-up area is in a radon Affected Area on the BGS/UKHSA atlas, and 10% 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 Keighley now?

No flood warning or alert was in force near Keighley at 12 November 2026, 21:18. 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.