Does Padiham flood? 60 postcodes in Padiham are in the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data (35 High, 10 Medium likelihood) — the breakdown is further down this page.
Conditions are worth watching: heavy rain has fallen nearby (29.8 mm in the last 24 hours at Rainfall station). Keep an eye on updates if heavy rain continues.
Updated 2026-10-09 13:32:50 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide
Padiham is a market town and civil parish on the River Calder, in the Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England. It is located north west of Burnley, and north east of the towns of Clayton le Moors and Great Harwood. It is edged by the foothills of Pendle Hill to the north-west and north-east. The United Kingdom Census 2011 gave a parish population of 10,098, estimated in 2019 at 10,138.
Ordnance Survey places 60 postcodes in Padiham 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 773 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.
| EA likelihood band | Postcodes (worst band) | Properties in the EA dataset | of which homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 35 | 379 | 290 |
| Medium | 10 | 54 | 28 |
| Low | 15 | 340 | 231 |
| Very low | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All bands | 60 | 773 | 549 |
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.
Great Harwood · Church · Oswaldtwistle · Water · Haslingden
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 Green Brook, about 30 m from the middle of Padiham's gauges. It flows into the River Calder about 460 m 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 Green Brook nearest the middle of Padiham'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.
Padiham is monitored by 2 Environment Agency river level stations on the River Calder, the Shaw Brook Tributary, in Lancashire. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.
The River Calder is monitored by 1 station (Padiham Town Centre). The Shaw Brook Tributary is monitored by 1 station (Dryden Street). 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 Padiham. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: Properties in the vicinity of Bear Street, Shakespeare Street, Palmerston Street, Thompson Street and Greenbridge Mill; Properties in the vicinity of Printers Fold, Shakespeare Street, Hathaway Hold, Palmerston Street and Stockbridge Mill; Council offices and in the vicinity of Lune St, Ribble St and Burnley Rd.; In the vicinity of Wyre Street, Burnley Road, Park Road, Station Road, Waterside Mews, and St James Place.
There are 20 storm overflows within 5km of Padiham. 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:
If flooding is forecast in Padiham, 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.
Padiham gets about 1,135 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month December, 132 mm; driest April, 63 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), 2.3 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 (29.8 mm in the last 24 hours at Rainfall station). Keep an eye on updates if heavy rain continues.
Padiham has river level monitoring on River Calder, Shaw Brook Tributary — 2 monitoring stations 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 11 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 2015. 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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