Home › Lancashire › Clitheroe

Clitheroe Flooding

Lancashire • Live river level monitoring on Mearley Brook & Pimlico Brook
2 monitoring stations
2 rivers
8 warning areas
🏠 Thinking of buying in Clitheroe? Get the detailed Property Flood-Risk Report for any Clitheroe postcode — official risk band, recorded floods since 1703, warning history, river behaviour and nearby storm overflows. £19 one-off, instant. Learn more →

Does Clitheroe flood? 58 postcodes in Clitheroe are in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data (29 High, 13 Medium likelihood) — the breakdown is further down this page.

Flood risk in Clitheroe today: Normal

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

Updated 2026-10-10 12:31:39 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide

About Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Town in Lancashire, England

Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located 34 miles (55 km) north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Clitheroe built-up area had an estimated population of 16,279.

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 Clitheroe’s gauges and flood maps loads as you reach it.
Recent Flood Events
9 Oct 2026 16:04 Warning no longer in force
Upper River Wyre, Brock
9 Oct 2026 16:02 Warning no longer in force
Lower River Wyre
9 Oct 2026 09:39 Flood Alert
Upper River Wyre, Brock
9 Oct 2026 09:38 Flood Alert
Lower River Wyre
8 Oct 2026 17:30 Flood Alert
Upper River Wyre, Brock
8 Oct 2026 17:29 Flood Alert
Lower River Wyre

Does Clitheroe flood?

Ordnance Survey places 58 postcodes in Clitheroe 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 855 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.

EA likelihood bandPostcodes (worst band)Properties in the EA datasetof which homes
High29360285
Medium13181139
Low16309197
Very low055
All bands58855626

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 58 at-risk postcodes in Clitheroe, worst band first

High likelihood (29)

Medium likelihood (13)

Low likelihood (16)

Postcode districts

Places nearby with a page of their own

Great Harwood

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 Clitheroe

The nearest watercourse on the river map is Mearley Brook, about 150 m from the middle of Clitheroe's gauges. It flows into Pendleton Brook about 1.8 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 Mearley Brook nearest the middle of Clitheroe'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 Clitheroe

Clitheroe is monitored by 2 Environment Agency river level stations on the Mearley Brook, the Pimlico Brook, in Lancashire. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.

Monitoring Stations

The Mearley Brook is monitored by 1 station (Waterloo Road). The Pimlico Brook is monitored by 1 station (Pimlico Brook). 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 Clitheroe. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: Includes Up-Brooks, Whittle Cl, Brook St, Taylor St, Salthill Rd, Peel St and Primrose Mill; Includes Up-Brooks, Waterloo Rd, Taylor St, Holden St, Duck St, Wellgate and Shawbridge St; Properties on Longsight Ave, Princess Ave, Chatburn Rd and Causeway Croft; Properties on Warwick Drive and Dorset Drive.

Sewage Discharge Monitoring

There are 10 storm overflows within 5km of Clitheroe. 2 are 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:

What To Do During A Flood

If flooding is forecast in Clitheroe, 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 Clitheroe

Clitheroe gets about 1,289 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month December, 157 mm; driest April, 67 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), 2.0 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 Clitheroe

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 →

  • 2020-02-09 — Sawley Road (Main river)
  • 2020-02-08 — 2020 February Flood Incident - Storm Ciara (Main river)
  • 2020-02-08 — 2020 February Flood Incident - Storm Ciara (Main river)
  • 2017-03-17 — 17 March 2017
  • 2017-03-17 — 17th March 2017 (Drainage)
  • 2016-08-22 — August 2016 (Main river)
  • 2015-12-26 — 26th December 2015
  • 2015-12-26 — Whalley (Main river)
  • 2015-12-26 — Whalley Road/B6478, Clitheroe
  • 2015-12-26 — King Street, Clitheroe (Drainage)
  • 2015-12-26 — Elker Lane, Billington (Main river)
  • 2015-12-26 — Holm Road, Barrow

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

Frequently asked questions

Is there flooding in Clitheroe today?

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

Which rivers affect Clitheroe?

Clitheroe has river level monitoring on Mearley Brook, Pimlico Brook — 2 monitoring stations in total.

How do I check official flood warnings for Clitheroe?

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 Clitheroe flooded before?

Yes — the Environment Agency's Recorded Flood Outlines dataset shows 8 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 2016. 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 →