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Market Harborough Flooding

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

Does Market Harborough flood? 60 postcodes in Market Harborough are in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data (4 High, 5 Medium likelihood) — the breakdown is further down this page.

Flood risk in Market Harborough today: Normal

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

Updated 2026-10-10 04:46:53 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide

About Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Town in Leicestershire, England

Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, close to the border with Northamptonshire. The population was 24,779 at the 2021 census. It is the administrative headquarters of the Harborough district.

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 Market Harborough’s gauges and flood maps loads as you reach it.
Recent Flood Events
29 Aug 2026 16:30 Flood Alert
Lower River Soar in Leicestershire
29 Aug 2026 09:27 Flood Alert
River Anker and River Sence
29 Aug 2026 09:08 Flood Alert
Lower River Soar in Leicestershire
29 Aug 2026 09:01 Flood Alert
Tributaries in Leicester City
28 Aug 2026 16:12 Flood Alert
Lower River Soar in Leicestershire
28 Aug 2026 16:09 Flood Alert
Loughborough urban watercourses and local tributaries to the River Soar

Does Market Harborough flood?

Ordnance Survey places 60 postcodes in Market Harborough 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 780 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.

EA likelihood bandPostcodes (worst band)Properties in the EA datasetof which homes
High4103
Medium57528
Low44578289
Very low711798
All bands60780418

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 60 at-risk postcodes in Market Harborough, worst band first

High likelihood (4)

Medium likelihood (5)

Low likelihood (44)

Very low likelihood (7)

Postcode districts

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 Market Harborough

The nearest watercourse on the river map is the River Welland, about 20 m from the middle of Market Harborough's gauges. It flows into Maxey Cut about 64 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 Welland nearest the middle of Market Harborough'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 Market Harborough

Market Harborough is monitored by 1 Environment Agency river level station on the River Welland, in Leicestershire. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.

Monitoring Stations

The River Welland is monitored by 1 station (Market Harborough). Each station records water levels continuously, with data synced to FloodRadar every 5 minutes.

Flood Warning Areas

There are 5 Environment Agency flood warning areas within 10km of Market Harborough. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: Properties near the River Welland in Market Harborough, including the Market Square and Euro Business Park; River Jordan in Braybrooke and Little Bowden, including properties near the river on Newland Street in Braybrooke, and the area around Scotland Road and Rectory Lane in Little Bowden; River Welland and tributaries in Welham including properties in Welham and farms on Stonton Brook; Clipston including Kelmarsh Road.

Sewage Discharge Monitoring

There are 9 storm overflows within 5km of Market Harborough. None of the 8 with a reporting monitor are currently discharging (1 has 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 Market Harborough, 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 Market Harborough

Market Harborough gets about 703 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month October, 69 mm; driest March, 45 mm). That is 40% 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), 0.8 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 Market Harborough

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 →

  • 2024-01-02 — LNA_2024_01_Fluvial_Lubenham (Main river)
  • 2007-03-03 — LNA_2007_March_West Brook_Little Bowden (Main river)
  • 1998-04-09 — LNA_1998_April_River Welland (Main river)
  • 1998-04-09 — LNA_1998_April_River Nene_d/s Northampton (Main river)
  • 1998-01-01 — LNA_1998_January_River Jordan_Braybrook (Main river)
  • 1947-03-16 — LNA_1947_March_River Nene_d/s Northampton (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 Market Harborough today?

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

Which rivers affect Market Harborough?

Market Harborough has river level monitoring on River Welland — 1 monitoring station in total.

How do I check official flood warnings for Market Harborough?

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 Market Harborough flooded before?

Yes — the Environment Agency's Recorded Flood Outlines dataset shows 2 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 2007. 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 →