Home › Greater London › Chingford

Chingford Flooding

Greater London • Live river level monitoring on Ching Brook
1 monitoring station
1 river
8 warning areas
🏠 Thinking of buying in Chingford? Get the detailed Property Flood-Risk Report for any Chingford postcode — official risk band, recorded floods since 1703, warning history, river behaviour and nearby storm overflows. £19 one-off, instant. Learn more →

Does Chingford flood? 47 postcodes in Chingford are in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data (10 High, 15 Medium likelihood) — the breakdown is further down this page.

Flood risk in Chingford today: Normal

No official flood warning is active nearby and the closest river stations are within normal ranges.

Updated 2026-10-09 15:11:47 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide

About Chingford
Chingford
Town in east London, England

Chingford is a suburban town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Situated in the Lea Valley, around 9+1⁄2 miles north-east of Charing Cross, it lies between the River Lea in the west and Epping Forest in the north and east. It borders Waltham Abbey to the north; Loughton, Buckhurst Hill, and Woodford to the east; and Walthamstow to the south, with Edmonton and Enfield to the west. At the 2021 census, it had a population of approximately 70,583.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Flood Contacts
Floodline 24hr
0345 988 1188
Emergency
999
The map of Chingford’s gauges and flood maps loads as you reach it.
Recent Flood Events
8 Oct 2026 16:02 Flood Alert
River Ash in the Borough of Spelthorne
8 Oct 2026 09:37 Flood Alert
River Ash in the Borough of Spelthorne
29 Sep 2026 18:14 Flood Alert
Tidal Thames riverside from Putney Bridge to Teddington Weir
29 Sep 2026 08:15 Flood Alert
Tidal Thames riverside from Putney Bridge to Teddington Weir
28 Sep 2026 18:09 Flood Alert
Tidal Thames riverside from Putney Bridge to Teddington Weir
12 Sep 2026 08:29 Flood Alert
Tidal Thames riverside from Putney Bridge to Teddington Weir

Does Chingford flood?

Ordnance Survey places 47 postcodes in Chingford 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 878 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.

EA likelihood bandPostcodes (worst band)Properties in the EA datasetof which homes
High104713
Medium15207170
Low20618565
Very low261
All bands47878749

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.

The 47 at-risk postcodes in Chingford, worst band first

High likelihood (10)

Medium likelihood (15)

Low likelihood (20)

Very low likelihood (2)

Postcode districts

Places nearby with a page of their own

Woodford · Leyton · Ilford · Hackney · West Ham · East Ham · Barking · Hallsville Quarter

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.

All data sources & licences

The watercourse nearest Chingford

The nearest watercourse on the river map is the Ching, about 10 m from the middle of Chingford's gauges. It flows into the River Lea (River Lee) about 5.1 km 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 the Ching nearest the middle of Chingford'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.

Useful Links
Flood Monitoring in Chingford

Chingford is monitored by 1 Environment Agency river level station on the Ching Brook, in Greater London. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.

Monitoring Stations

The Ching Brook is monitored by 1 station (Chingford). Each station records water levels continuously, with data synced to FloodRadar every 5 minutes.

Flood Warning Areas

There are 8 Environment Agency flood warning areas within 10km of Chingford. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: The Ching Brook in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, including Highams Park; The Lower River Lee from Hoddesdon to Canning Town including, Cheshunt, Enfield, Edmonton, Tottenham, Walthamstow, Hackney, Stratford and West Ham; The Lower River Lee at Enfield including Edmonton and Tottenham; The River Roding at Loughton including Buckhurst Hill.

Sewage Discharge Monitoring

There are 33 storm overflows within 5km of Chingford. None of the 29 with a reporting monitor are currently discharging (4 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:

What To Do During A Flood

If flooding is forecast in Chingford, 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.

How much rain falls on Chingford

Chingford gets about 636 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month October, 68 mm; driest March, 37 mm). That is 45% drier 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), 1.7 km away. Average rainfall: HadUK-Grid v1.3.2, Met Office. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Recorded floods near Chingford

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 →

  • 2024-01-04 — EA06JanuaryWinter2024
  • 2022-08-17 — EA06AugustSummer2022 (Main river)
  • 2022-08-17 — EA06AugustSummer2022 (Main river)
  • 2021-01-29 — ea06JanuaryWinter2021 (Main river)
  • 2021-01-14 — ea06JanuaryWinter2021 (Main river)
  • 2019-12-20 — ea06DecemberWinter2019 (Main river)
  • 2015-01-09 — ea06JanuaryWinter2015 (Main river)
  • 2014-01-31 — ea06FebruaryWinter2014 (Main river)
  • 2010-02-23 — ea06FebruaryWinter2010 (Main river)
  • 2010-02-23 — ea06FebruaryWinter2010 (Main river)
  • 2010-02-23 — ea06FebruaryWinter2010 (Main river)
  • 2010-02-23 — ea06FebruaryWinter2010 (Main river)

Records, not floods: no outline on the record is not evidence a place has not flooded.

Frequently asked questions

Is there flooding in Chingford today?

Current verdict: Normal. No official flood warning is active nearby and the closest river stations are within normal ranges.

Which rivers affect Chingford?

Chingford has river level monitoring on Ching Brook — 1 monitoring station in total.

How do I check official flood warnings for Chingford?

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.

What should I do during a flood warning?

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.

Has Chingford flooded before?

Yes — the Environment Agency's Recorded Flood Outlines dataset shows 6 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 1947. 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.

🏠 Buying or renting around here? Get the Property Flood-Risk Report for any English postcode — official risk band, recorded floods, warning history, river behaviour and nearby storm overflows. £19 one-off. Learn more →