Does Birkenhead flood?

Flood warnings in force near Birkenhead

• Flood warning — Irish Sea at New Brighton
  We do not anticipate the next high tide later this morning, 26 October 2026, to meet the flood warning threshold 6.2 km
• Flood alert — Irish Sea from New Brighton to Hoylake
  We do not anticipate the next high tide later this morning, 26 October 2026, to meet the flood alert threshold 6.4 km

From the Environment Agency (England). Always check the GOV.UK Check for Flooding service or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188.

What the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data says about Birkenhead

Ordnance Survey places 31 postcodes in Birkenhead 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 256 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.

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.

Rivers and live river levels near Birkenhead

Environment Agency gauges within 10 km of Birkenhead watch River Birket, Arrowe Brook.

• Davis Road
  River Birket · 4.5 km away 1.46 m
  above typical high · 38 min ago
• Greasby Road
  Arrowe Brook · 4.6 km away 0.28 m
  normal range · rising · 38 min ago
• Acton Lane
  Arrowe Brook · 5.6 km away 0.30 m
  normal range · falling · 38 min ago
• Liverpool Tidal
  Tide · 7.3 km away -1.27 mAOD
  rises and falls with the tide · 53 min ago
• Fornalls Bridge
  River Birket · 7.6 km away 0.70 m
  normal range · steady · 38 min ago

Distances are from the middle of Birkenhead's at-risk postcodes. Tidal and structure gauges are shown as readings only — the tide and sluice gates move them, not floods. A gauge with no recent reading shows no level.

Flood warning areas near Birkenhead

13 Environment Agency flood warning areas lie within 10 km of Birkenhead. The EA has issued 157 flood warnings and alerts for them since 2006, most recently on 26 Oct 2026.

• Woodside Business Park, Highfield South, Woodside Ferry Approach, Pacific Road and Birkenhead Wastewater Treatment Works
  4 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Jan 2018 2.2 km
• Areas at risk include Liverpool, New Ferry, Woodside, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Widnes and Hale Village
  60 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Apr 2026 3.9 km
• Areas at risk include Pasture Lane, Taran Way North, and Ditton Lane. Also at risk are properties off Reed Lane at Reedville Grove, Cornflower way and Bullrush Drive. Wallasey School, Leasowe recreation centre and some property on Twickenham Way
  1 warning or alert since 2006, latest Sep 2025 4.2 km
• Areas at risk include properties adjacent to the river from Arrowe Brook Road Weir to Brookway
  no warning on record since 2006 4.9 km
• The Wirral catchment includes the Rivers Fender and Birkett and Rivacre, Dibbinsdale and Arrowe Brooks and their tributaries. Other locations which may be affected are around Birkenhead, Bootle, Litherland and Crosby
  23 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Nov 2025 6.0 km
• Areas at risk include land and property adjacent to Arrowe Brook from Saughall Massie Road, to the Railway including property on Meadowbrook, Bermuda Road, Linear Park, Town Meadow Lane, Tern Way, Millhouse Lane, Oakham Drive, Desford and Millhouse Close
  no warning on record since 2006 6.1 km
• Areas at risk include Marine Point Leisure and Retail Park and properties on King's Parade and Marine Promenade.
  16 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Oct 2026 6.2 km
• Areas at risk include land at the head of the Wirral from Hoylake to New Brighton and including parts of Leasowe and Wallasey.
  25 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Oct 2026 6.4 km
• Areas at risk include properties on Park Lane, including parts of the Wirral Beech caravan site. Properties on Clevely Road and Derwent Road are also at risk
  no warning on record since 2006 7.1 km
• Areas at risk include Meols and Leasowe
  no warning on record since 2006 7.1 km
• Tue Brook at Clubmoor, areas around Lindsay Road, Abingdon Road, Daneville Road and Frampton Road
  4 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Oct 2026 9.1 km
• Areas at risk include land from Hilbre Island and along the coast from West Kirby to Heswall.
  23 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Apr 2026 9.5 km

Recorded floods near Birkenhead

Floods whose mapped extent (EA Recorded Flood Outlines) reached within ~5 km of Birkenhead, most recent first. Records, not floods: no outline on the record is not evidence a place has not flooded. See them on the map →

• 23 Sep 2012 — ea01318_24_September_2012_Prenton_N_Chesh_Trad_Est Main river
• 5 Sep 2008 — EA01318_05_September_2008_River_Fender_Woodchurch Main river
• 5 Sep 2008 — EA01318_05_September_2008_River_Fender_Moreton Main river
• 5 Sep 2008 — EA01318_05_September_2008_River_Fender_Bidston Main river
• 31 Jan 2002 — MERE Other
• 28 Oct 2000 — ARRO Main river
• 24 Dec 1997 — ARRO
• 23 Apr 1971 — FEND

Rainfall near Birkenhead

Birkenhead gets about 802 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month October, 87 mm; driest March, 48 mm). That is 31% drier than the UK as a whole, which averages 1,163 mm a year. Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 (5 km grid), 1.7 km from the place centre.

The nearest rain gauge, Rainfall station (5.4 km away), recorded 5.0 mm in the last 24 hours and 81.1 mm in the last 7 days (latest reading 38 min ago).

At-risk postcodes in Birkenhead

Every postcode Ordnance Survey places in Birkenhead that appears in the EA's rivers-and-sea dataset, worst band first. Each links to its own flood-risk page.

High likelihood (12)

Medium likelihood (2)

Low likelihood (9)

Very low likelihood (8)

Postcode districts

Sources

FloodRadar summarises public flood data. It is not a flood-risk survey of any property, and it does not replace official GOV.UK flood warnings or the GOV.UK long-term flood risk service.