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Conditions are worth watching: the Environment Agency has a Flood Alert in force for The Suffolk and Essex coast from Felixstowe to Clacton including Orwell and Stour estuaries — flooding is possible on consecutive tides from 11pm on Friday 9th October through to 1am on Saturday 10th October. Flooding is possible — be prepared and keep an eye on updates.
Updated 2026-10-09 18:45:49 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide
Combs Ford is a suburb of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. It sits at the confluence between the rivers Gipping and Rattlesden.
Towns and villages near Combs Ford with a page of their own: the homes in a flood risk area there, the nearest river gauges, and recorded floods.
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 the River Gipping, about 10 m from the middle of Combs Ford's gauges. It flows into the River Orwell about 23 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 River Gipping nearest the middle of Combs Ford'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.
Combs Ford is monitored by 1 Environment Agency river level station on the River Gipping, in Suffolk. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.
The River Gipping is monitored by 1 station (Stowmarket). Each station records water levels continuously, with data synced to FloodRadar every 5 minutes.
There are 5 Environment Agency flood warning areas within 10km of Combs Ford. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: The Rattlesden River and River Gipping, including Lower Street, Rattlesden, the Ford at Wash Lane Onehouse, Combs Ford, Stowmarket. Hawks Mill Street, Crown Street and Coddenham Road in Needham Market; The River Gipping from the A14 at Stowmarket to upstream of Needham Market; The Rattlesden River from Rattlesden to Combs Ford in Stowmarket; The River Gipping through Needham Market.
There are 10 storm overflows within 5km of Combs Ford. None of the 10 with a reporting monitor 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:
If flooding is forecast in Combs Ford, 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.
Combs Ford gets about 617 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month October, 62 mm; driest April, 38 mm). That is 47% 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), 1.9 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: the Environment Agency has a Flood Alert in force for The Suffolk and Essex coast from Felixstowe to Clacton including Orwell and Stour estuaries — flooding is possible on consecutive tides from 11pm on Friday 9th October through to 1am on Saturday 10th October. Flooding is possible — be prepared and keep an eye on updates.
Combs Ford has river level monitoring on River Gipping — 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 3 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 2013. 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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