FloodRadar
Log inCreate free account

Explore FloodRadar

Does BL3 5QA flood?

Bolton

Up to Low likelihood

Properties in BL3 5QA sit in the Environment Agency's Low 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%00
Medium1% – 3.3%00
Low0.1% – 1%10
Very lowbelow 0.1%00

Over a 25-year mortgage, a property in a low-likelihood area has a 2–22% chance of flooding at least once.

The ground around BL3 5QA

The ground here sits at about 111 m above sea level and falls 53 m across the surrounding 800 m. Surface water reaching this point runs off ground lying to the south-west, 23.9 m higher.

Shaded relief map of the ground around BL35QA, computed from Environment Agency LiDAR. The ground here sits at about 111 m above sea level and falls 53 m across the surrounding 800 m. Surface water reaching this point runs off ground lying to the south-west, 23.9 m higher.
Shaded relief of the bare ground within about 400 m of BL3 5QA, 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.
Instant access · no account needed · 14-day money-back guarantee or see the free preview first
Get the full flood report for BL3 5QA — £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 BL3 5QA

FloodRadarProperty Flood-Risk Report
BL3 5QA
Moderate flood risk — investigate further

Because properties in the low likelihood band; 1 recorded flood nearby; 61 official warnings since 2006.

C Today — indicative grade (A best → E)
··· By the 2050s — EA climate scenario (in the full report)
⚑ Official warning within 10 km: Yes ⚑ Recorded flood nearby: Yes ⚑ Flood defences within 500 m: Yes ⚑ In flood zone 2 or 3: ···
Rivers & sea
Up to Low
Surface water
···
Groundwater
Not assessed
Historic flooding
Recorded nearby
Warning history · flood map with building picker · 2050s view · insurance outlook · every dataset receipt — 18 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

The map above shows the real EA rivers & sea likelihood cells around BL3 5QA. 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 BL3 5QA

61
flood alerts & warnings within 10 km since 2012
61
of them full flood warnings or severe warnings
2025
most recent warning nearby (2025-09-20)

Warnings cover flood areas, not individual addresses.

Recorded floods near this postcode

DateRecorded floodApprox. distance
Dec 2015 Spa Road, Bolton ~0.5 km

EA Recorded Flood Outlines — absence of a record never proves a place has not flooded. The full report tests whether any extent covered the exact spot.

Named storms that brought flooding here

Ciara (2020, 5 warnings nearby) · Christoph (2021, 4 warnings nearby) · Bert (2024, 3 warnings nearby) · Fergus (2023, 2 warnings nearby)

The rivers that matter for BL3 5QA

GaugeRiverDistanceTypical highHighest on record
Bessy Brook Bessy Brook 2.8 km 1.08 m 1.78 m
Atherton Woodland Drive Carr Brook 4.4 km 0.75 m 0.82 m
Farnworth River Croal 4.6 km 1.00 m 1.83 m
Threadfold Way Eagley Brook 4.9 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
Blackshaw Lane Cso 072fw Middle Brook (river Croal) 0.2 km 15 (2024) 10
Albert Road Cso Middle Brook 0.2 km 28 (2024) 9
No 76 Middle Brook Cso Middle Brook 0.6 km 115 (2024) 218
Edith Street Cso 078nl River Croal 0.6 km 0 (2024) 0

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

Flood defences

11 mapped flood-defence assets within 500 m — nearest ~117 m (natural high ground). 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

BL3 1RP up to Low BL3 1RS up to Low BL3 1RU up to Low BL3 1SD up to High BL3 2NH up to Low BL3 2PP up to High BL3 2QJ up to Medium BL3 2RB up to High BL3 2RD up to Medium BL3 5EL up to Low BL3 5EN up to Medium BL3 5NX up to Low

At-risk postcodes near BL3 5QA — all in the BL3 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. 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 BL3 district.