Does BL2 6QY flood?

Bolton

Up to High likelihood

Properties in BL2 6QY sit in the Environment Agency's High flood-likelihood band (worst property). The band is the worst found in the postcode — it describes the land around properties (defence-adjusted, rivers & sea), not any single address, and not today's conditions.

Likelihood bandAnnual chancePropertiesOf which homes
Highgreater than 3.3%40
Medium1% – 3.3%40
Low0.1% – 1%00
Very lowbelow 0.1%00

Over a 25-year mortgage, a property in a high-likelihood area has at least a 57% chance of flooding at least once.

How much rain falls on BL2 6QY

BL2 6QY gets about 1,088 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month December, 125 mm; driest April, 64 mm). That is close to the UK as a whole, which averages 1,163 mm a year.

A thirty-year average for the surrounding area, not a measurement at this address and not a flood risk on its own: a dry area floods when a storm sits over it, and a wet one may drain away perfectly well. Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 (5 km grid), 3.0 km away. Average rainfall: HadUK-Grid v1.3.2, Met Office. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The ground around BL2 6QY

The ground here sits at about 108 m above sea level and falls 38 m across the surrounding 800 m. Surface water reaching this point runs off ground lying to the west, 14.8 m higher.

Shaded relief map of the ground around BL26QY, computed from Environment Agency LiDAR. The ground here sits at about 108 m above sea level and falls 38 m across the surrounding 800 m. Surface water reaching this point runs off ground lying to the west, 14.8 m higher.
Shaded relief of the bare ground within about 400 m of BL2 6QY, computed from the Environment Agency's published LiDAR terrain survey. The ring marks the postcode centre, not a property. This shows the shape of the land, not a flood map — it does not include drains, culverts, walls or kerbs, and the official likelihood band above is the authoritative figure. © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2022. All rights reserved.

The watercourse nearest BL2 6QY

The nearest watercourse on the river map is Blackshaw Brook, about 60 m from the centre of BL2 6QY. It flows into the River Croal about 3.3 km downstream.

A gauge downstream shows water that has already passed this point; one upstream sees it first. Distances along the river are from the point on Blackshaw Brook nearest the centre of BL2 6QY. From Ordnance Survey’s river map (OS Open Rivers), which leaves out small streams, ditches and culverts, so a nearer one may exist. This describes where water goes on the map; it says nothing about flooding at any address. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026.

Instant access · no account needed · 14-day money-back guarantee or see the free preview first
Get the full flood report for BL2 6QY — £19 Free preview first · instant access · no account needed The detail below — flood history, warnings, rivers, overflows — is part of FloodRadar's property flood-risk report. The official band above is free; the preview shows more before you decide.

Inside the full report for BL2 6QY

FloodRadarProperty Flood-Risk Report
BL2 6QY
Elevated flood risk — professional assessment recommended

Because properties in the high likelihood band; 5 recorded flood outlines mapped nearby; 60 official warnings since 2006.

E Today — indicative grade (A best → E)
··· By the 2050s — EA climate scenario (in the full report)
⚑ Official warning within 10 km: Yes ⚑ Recorded flood outline within ~1 km: Yes ⚑ Flood defence mapped within 500 m: Yes ⚑ In flood zone 2 or 3: ···
Rivers & sea
Up to High
Surface water
···
Groundwater
Not assessed
Historic flooding
Recorded nearby
Warning history · flood map with building picker · 2050s view · insurance outlook · every dataset receipt — 19 sections

Flood-risk map of this area

Environment Agency flood-likelihood cells
High (>3.3%/yr) Medium Low Very low Marker = postcode centre Base map © OpenStreetMap contributors Likelihood cells © Environment Agency (OGL v3) (ca20260618)

The map above shows the real EA rivers & sea likelihood cells around BL2 6QY. The small panels are illustrative previews of the report's per-layer map views — the full report draws each layer for real, plus recorded extents, defences and a building picker on an interactive map.

Official flood warnings near BL2 6QY

60
flood alerts & warnings within 10 km since 2012
59
of them full flood warnings or severe warnings
2025
most recent warning nearby (2025-09-20)

Warnings cover flood areas, not individual addresses.

Recorded flood outlines near this postcode

DateMapped flood extentApprox. distance
Dec 2015 Breightmet ~0.1 km
Aug 2004 EA01313_03_August_2004_BlackshawBrook_Breightmet ~0.1 km
Jun 2002 BKSB ~0.8 km
Feb 2002 EA01313_20 February 2002_Blackshaw Brook_Breightme ~0.1 km
Jul 1999 BKSB ~0.2 km

These are extents the Environment Agency has mapped, not a list of every flood. Records, not floods: no outline on the record is not evidence a place has not flooded. The full report tests whether any extent covered the exact spot.

The rivers that matter for BL2 6QY

GaugeRiverDistanceTypical highHighest on record
Farnworth River Croal 2.7 km 1.00 m 1.83 m
Kearsley River Irwell 3.7 km 4.05 m 6.33 m
Pioneer Mills River Irwell 4.4 km 3.70 m 5.92 m
Threadfold Way Eagley Brook 5.1 km 2.20 m 1.71 m

Live levels, predictions and rain-response behaviour are on each gauge's page and in the property report.

Storm overflows within 5 km

OverflowDischarges intoDistanceSpillsHours
Oakenbottom Road Cso 072is Bradshaw Brook 1.7 km 8 (2024) 11
Hind Street Cso Bradshaw Brook 1.7 km 3 (2024) 1
Darcy Lever Old Hall Cso Blackshaw Brook 1.7 km 12 (2024) 13
Church Street West Cso Unnamed Pond 1.8 km 3 (2024) 1

Official annual EDM figures — a water-quality signal for local watercourses, not a property flood-risk factor.

Flood defences

18 mapped flood-defence assets within 500 m — nearest ~54 m (natural high ground, wall). Defences reduce risk, never remove it.

What the full property report adds

The interactive flood-risk map with a building picker (your exact house, not the postcode), the 2050s climate view, surface-water and planning flood zones at your building, exact recorded-flood distances, year-by-year warning charts, watercourses including culverted streams, an insurance outlook with the Flood Re rules, and a printable document with every dataset receipt — start with the free preview, unlock for £19.

Flood risk at nearby postcodes

At-risk postcodes near BL2 6QY — all in the BL2 district.

© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2025. All rights reserved. Some features of this map are based on digital spatial data from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, © NERC (CEH). © Crown Copyright and Database Rights 2025 OS AC0000807064. This product is produced in part from PAF® and Multiple Residence Data, the copyright in which is owned by Royal Mail Group Limited and/or Royal Mail Group plc. All rights reserved. Licence number AC0000807064. Place names: Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Recorded Flood Outlines and warning history © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2025. Storm-overflow figures: EA Event Duration Monitoring (England); live overflow status © the water companies, incl. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water and Scottish Water. Flood defences © Environment Agency (OGL v3). This page summarises public area-level data — it is not a flood-risk survey and not a substitute for the official GOV.UK service. All data sources & licences. More postcodes: the BL2 district.