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Does Horwich flood? 82 postcodes in Horwich are in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data (34 High, 9 Medium likelihood) — the breakdown is further down this page.
Conditions are worth watching: heavy rain has fallen nearby (22 mm in the last 24 hours at Rainfall station). Keep an eye on updates if heavy rain continues.
Updated 2026-10-09 13:00:35 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide
Horwich is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire. It is 5.8 miles (9.3 km) northwest of Bolton Town Centre, 5.3 miles (8.5 km) southeast of Chorley and 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Manchester. It lies at the southern edge of the West Pennine Moors with the M61 motorway passing close to the south and west. At the 2011 Census, Horwich had a population of 20,067.
Ordnance Survey places 82 postcodes in Horwich 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 766 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.
| EA likelihood band | Postcodes (worst band) | Properties in the EA dataset | of which homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 34 | 192 | 106 |
| Medium | 9 | 112 | 97 |
| Low | 38 | 442 | 278 |
| Very low | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| All bands | 82 | 766 | 481 |
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.
Ince-in-Makerfield · Leigh · Higher Folds
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 Pearl Brook, about 10 m from the middle of Horwich's gauges. It flows into the River Douglas about 2.0 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 Pearl Brook nearest the middle of Horwich'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.
Horwich is monitored by 1 Environment Agency river level station on the Pearl Brook, in Greater Manchester. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.
The Pearl Brook is monitored by 1 station (Horwich Pearl 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 Horwich. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: 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 along Sudbury Drive and including parts of Rumworth Road and Regent Road.; River Douglas at Worthington, Gardinar Close, Trevore Drive and Alden Close.
There are 18 storm overflows within 5km of Horwich. 3 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 Horwich, 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.
Horwich gets about 1,237 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month December, 137 mm; driest April, 72 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), 1.7 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 (22 mm in the last 24 hours at Rainfall station). Keep an eye on updates if heavy rain continues.
Horwich has river level monitoring on Pearl 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 5 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 2021. 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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