Does Swanscombe flood?

What the Environment Agency's rivers-and-sea flood-risk data says about Swanscombe

Ordnance Survey places 23 postcodes in Swanscombe 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 320 properties in the EA dataset's likelihood bands.

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.

Rivers and live river levels near Swanscombe

Environment Agency gauges within 10 km of Swanscombe watch Thames Tideway, River Darent, River Cray.

• Tilbury Tidal
  Thames Tideway · 3.4 km away -1.79 mAOD
  rises and falls with the tide · 25 min ago
• Hawley
  River Darent · 4.9 km away 0.08 m
  normal range · steady · 25 min ago
• Crayford
  River Cray · 7.8 km away 0.21 m
  normal range · steady · 25 min ago
• Hall Place
  River Cray · 8.8 km away 0.02 m
  normal range · steady · 25 min ago

Distances are from the middle of Swanscombe's at-risk postcodes. Tidal and structure gauges are shown as readings only — the tide and sluice gates move them, not floods. A gauge with no recent reading shows no level.

Flood warning areas near Swanscombe

13 Environment Agency flood warning areas lie within 10 km of Swanscombe. The EA has issued 255 flood warnings and alerts for them since 2006, most recently on 26 Oct 2026.

• Grays to Purfleet-on-Thames, from Dock Road, in Grays, to London Road, in Purfleet-on-Thames
  no warning on record since 2006 2.8 km
• Areas at risk of tidal flooding in Dartford, Crayford and Greenhithe
  no warning on record since 2006 4.0 km
• Areas at risk of tidal flooding in Gravesend and Northfleet, including Swanscombe
  no warning on record since 2006 4.2 km
• The Essex coast from Fobbing to Purfleet-on-Thames, including Tilbury, Grays and the Dartford Crossing
  38 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Dec 2025 4.2 km
• River Darent in Hawley, the Dartford Trade Park, Brooklands, Dartford Town Centre, Dartford and Crayford Marshes to the River Thames including Slade Green and the Darent Industrial Park
  3 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Feb 2014 4.6 km
• The Mardyke from North Stifford to Purfleet-on-Thames
  24 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Feb 2021 4.8 km
• Areas at risk of tidal flooding in Dartford
  no warning on record since 2006 5.0 km
• River Thames from Dartford Creek to Erith High Street East including the Darent Industrial Estate, Slade Green and the Church Industrial Estate
  no warning on record since 2006 6.5 km
• Areas at risk of tidal flooding on seaward side of tidal defences from Greenhithe to Denton, including Northfleet and Gravesend
  3 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Feb 2022 7.2 km
• River Cray in St Marys Cray, St Pauls Cray, Foots Cray, Sidcup, North Cray, Old Bexley, Hall Place and Crayford to the River Darent
  2 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Oct 2021 9.2 km
• River Cray from St Mary's Cray to Crayford, including Hall Place and the River Shuttle from Blackfen through Sidcup to Old Bexley including Lamorbey Park
  59 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Jun 2026 9.5 km
• The Essex coast at Coalhouse Fort and surrounding marshland at East Tilbury
  40 warnings and alerts since 2006, latest Apr 2024 9.9 km

Recorded floods near Swanscombe

Floods whose mapped extent (EA Recorded Flood Outlines) reached within ~5 km of Swanscombe, most recent first. Records, not floods: no outline on the record is not evidence a place has not flooded. See them on the map →

• 29 Dec 1993 — 07337E200_DEC1993_River Darent_Dartford Trade Park Main river
• 14 Sep 1968 — 07337E200_SEPT1968_Darent_Dartford Main river
• 14 Sep 1968 — 07337E200_SEPT1968_Darent_Darenth Main river
• 12 Jan 1968 — 1968 September Flood Outline Main river
• 31 Jan 1953 — 1953 Coast Flood Outline Essex Sea
• 31 Jan 1953 — TTD_FEO_1953 Sea
• 31 Jan 1953 — 07301E900_FEB1953_Dartford/Swanscombe Sea
• 1 Jan 1953 — TTD_FEO_1953 Sea

Rainfall near Swanscombe

Swanscombe gets about 563 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month October, 61 mm; driest March, 33 mm). That is 52% drier than the UK as a whole, which averages 1,163 mm a year. Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 (5 km grid), 2.8 km from the place centre.

The nearest rain gauge, Rainfall station (6.3 km away), recorded 2.5 mm in the last 24 hours and 52.5 mm in the last 7 days (latest reading 25 min ago).

At-risk postcodes in Swanscombe

Every postcode Ordnance Survey places in Swanscombe that appears in the EA's rivers-and-sea dataset, worst band first. Each links to its own flood-risk page.

Medium likelihood (1)

Very low likelihood (22)

Postcode districts

Sources

FloodRadar summarises public flood data. It is not a flood-risk survey of any property, and it does not replace official GOV.UK flood warnings or the GOV.UK long-term flood risk service.