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Does Barnstaple flood? 231 postcodes in Barnstaple are in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data (48 High, 66 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 2026-10-09 15:11:30 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The town lies at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool from which it earned great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, but its harbour silted up and other trades developed such as shipbuilding, foundries and sawmills. A Victorian market building survives, with a high glass and timber roof on iron columns.
Ordnance Survey places 231 postcodes in Barnstaple 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 3,532 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.
| EA likelihood band | Postcodes (worst band) | Properties in the EA dataset | of which homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 48 | 407 | 303 |
| Medium | 66 | 1,007 | 775 |
| Low | 106 | 1,903 | 1,289 |
| Very low | 11 | 215 | 194 |
| All bands | 231 | 3,532 | 2,561 |
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.
…and 131 more at-risk postcodes, listed on the district pages below.
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 Coney Gut, about 150 m from the middle of Barnstaple's gauges. It flows into the River Taw about 390 m 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 Coney Gut nearest the middle of Barnstaple'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.
Barnstaple is monitored by 3 Environment Agency river level stations on the Coney Gut, the River Taw, in Devon. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.
The Coney Gut is monitored by 2 stations (Coney Gut, Portmarsh Lane). The River Taw is monitored by 1 station (Barnstaple). 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 Barnstaple. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: Low lying parts of Barnstaple, including Castle Quay, The Strand and Pottington, Pilton and Sticklepath areas; The Raleigh and Pilton areas of Barnstaple, including Raleigh Meadow, Green Meadow Drive and Pilton Park; riverside locations and roads between Muddiford and Bradiford, including Blakewell and the A361 Braunton Road; properties adjacent to the bridge in Bradiford and on Windsor Road, Meadow Road, Chaddiford Lane and the A361 Braunton Road.
There are 17 storm overflows within 5km of Barnstaple. 1 is currently discharging. 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 Barnstaple, 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.
Barnstaple gets about 1,093 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month December, 127 mm; driest April, 61 mm). That is close to 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), 1.3 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.
Barnstaple has river level monitoring on Coney Gut, River Taw — 3 monitoring stations 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 16 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 1981. 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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