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Does Bacup flood? 76 postcodes in Bacup are in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data (16 High, 10 Medium likelihood) — the breakdown is further down this page.
No official flood warning is active nearby and the closest river stations are within normal ranges.
Updated 2026-10-10 07:20:32 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide
Bacup is a town in the Rossendale Borough in Lancashire, England, in the South Pennines close to Lancashire's boundaries with West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. The town is in the Rossendale Valley and the upper Irwell Valley, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Rawtenstall, 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Rochdale, and 7 miles (11 km) south of Burnley. At the 2011 Census, Bacup had a population of 13,323.
Ordnance Survey places 76 postcodes in Bacup in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk dataset (Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea). Each postcode is counted once, under the worst band any of its properties reaches; together they hold 385 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.
| EA likelihood band | Postcodes (worst band) | Properties in the EA dataset | of which homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 16 | 43 | 26 |
| Medium | 10 | 47 | 25 |
| Low | 50 | 295 | 167 |
| Very low | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All bands | 76 | 385 | 218 |
This dataset covers flooding from rivers and the sea only — one of five flood sources. Surface water, groundwater, sewers and reservoirs are assessed separately, so a postcode missing from it is not proof that a place cannot flood. The band describes the land around properties (allowing for defences), not any single address and not today's conditions.
Whitworth · Water · Haslingden
Flood-risk bands: © 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.
The nearest watercourse on the river map is the River Irwell, about 10 m from the middle of Bacup's gauges.
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 the River Irwell nearest the middle of Bacup's gauges. 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.
Bacup is monitored by 1 Environment Agency river level station on the River Irwell, in Lancashire. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.
The River Irwell is monitored by 1 station (Throstle Mill). Each station records water levels continuously, with data synced to FloodRadar every 5 minutes.
There are 8 Environment Agency flood warning areas within 10km of Bacup. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: Areas at risk include Burnley Road around Bacup Leisure Hall to St James Square, along Market St, Henrietta St and Park Rd Industrial Estates. Also properties around the Library and St James Street to Lumb Scar, Beech Industrial Estate and Vale Street; Areas at risk include land and properties along the river in Stubbylee Bridge and Stacksteads, including Futures, Acres and Stubbylee Parks and parts of Newchurch Road, Farholme Lane and Brandwood.; Areas at risk include properties at Stubbylee Bridge including Stuart, Herbert and Branch Streets, the Ambulance station on Commercial Street, Brandwood Park and Waterbarn Lane areas of Stacksteads, and part of Glen Crescent and Toll Bar Business Park; Properties adjacent to Brook including Globe, Dale, Gaghills, Mill End and Albion Mills. Waterfoot Business Centre. Properties on Burnley Road East, Rose, Booth and Clarke Holme Streets, the Close and Thornfield Avenue including the bakery.
There are 28 storm overflows within 5km of Bacup. None of the 25 with a reporting monitor are currently discharging (3 have no live status right now). Enable "Sewage" on the map above to see their locations.
6 of them, nearest first, with their own page of live status and past discharges:
If flooding is forecast in Bacup, call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 for the latest information. Move valuables upstairs, turn off gas and electricity if safe to do so, and avoid walking or driving through flood water. Sign up for flood warnings on any station page above to receive email alerts when water levels rise. For emergency numbers, a preparation checklist and insurance guidance, see our flood help & preparation guide.
Bacup gets about 1,518 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month December, 179 mm; driest May, 86 mm). That is 31% wetter than the UK as a whole, which averages 1,163 mm a year. See the rain gauges →
A thirty-year average for the area, not a forecast and not a flood risk on its own. Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 (5 km grid), 0.7 km away. Average rainfall: HadUK-Grid v1.3.2, Met Office. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Floods whose mapped extent (EA Recorded Flood Outlines) reached within ~5 km of the town centre — most recent first. These are records of mapped extents, not a full list of floods. See them on the map →
Records, not floods: no outline on the record is not evidence a place has not flooded.
Current verdict: Normal. No official flood warning is active nearby and the closest river stations are within normal ranges.
Bacup has river level monitoring on River Irwell — 1 monitoring station in total.
Use the GOV.UK Check for Flooding service (check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk) or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 (24 hours). You can also set up free FloodRadar email or browser alerts from any station page above.
Follow official advice: move valuables and vehicles to safety, never walk or drive through flood water, turn off gas and electricity if safe, and check on vulnerable neighbours. See our flood preparation guide at floodradar.co.uk/flood-help.
Yes — the Environment Agency's Recorded Flood Outlines dataset shows 29 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 2020. That is a count of mapped extents, not of separate floods. Records, not floods: no outline on the record is not evidence a place has not flooded. See the flood history link below.
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