FloodRadar
Log inCreate free account
FloodRadar
Log inCreate free account
Does Bolton flood? 184 postcodes in Bolton are in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data (81 High, 12 Medium likelihood) — the breakdown is further down this page.
Conditions are worth watching: heavy rain has fallen nearby (21.6 mm in the last 24 hours at Rainfall station). Keep an eye on updates if heavy rain continues.
Updated 2026-10-09 18:46:10 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and villages that form the wider borough, of which Bolton is the administrative centre. The town is within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.
Ordnance Survey places 184 postcodes in Bolton 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 1,878 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.
| EA likelihood band | Postcodes (worst band) | Properties in the EA dataset | of which homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 81 | 714 | 576 |
| Medium | 12 | 105 | 82 |
| Low | 72 | 874 | 634 |
| Very low | 19 | 185 | 88 |
| All bands | 184 | 1,878 | 1,380 |
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 84 more at-risk postcodes, listed on the district pages below.
Higher Folds · Ince-in-Makerfield · Leigh · Worsley
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 Bessy Brook, about 10 m from the middle of Bolton's gauges. It flows into Middle Brook about 330 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 Bessy Brook nearest the middle of Bolton'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.
Bolton is monitored by 1 Environment Agency river level station on the Bessy Brook, in Greater Manchester. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.
The Bessy Brook is monitored by 1 station (Bessy Brook). 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 Bolton. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: Properties along Sudbury Drive and including parts of Rumworth Road and Regent Road.; Horwich town centre including Bridge Street, Church Street, Longworth Rd close to the junction with Lee Lane. Winter Hey Lane and adjoining roads. Mason Street and roads in the Greenstone Ave, Rotherhead and Avonhead Close areas; Horwich town centre from Bridge Street and Old Station Park to the M61, homes and businesses on Winter Hey Lane at the junction with Chorley New Road, Mason Street and adjoining roads including Back Emmett Street and Chorley New Road; Properties on Greenfield Road, Hillside Avenue, Warren Close, Springfield Close, Carr Brook Drive, Leather Market on Bolton Road and two properties on Bolton Old Road.
There are 48 storm overflows within 5km of Bolton. 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 Bolton, 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.
Bolton gets about 1,202 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month December, 132 mm; driest April, 71 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), 1.4 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: Watch. Conditions are worth watching: heavy rain has fallen nearby (21.6 mm in the last 24 hours at Rainfall station). Keep an eye on updates if heavy rain continues.
Bolton has river level monitoring on Bessy Brook — 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 14 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 2002. 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.
FloodRadar helper · beta