FloodRadar
Log inCreate free account
FloodRadar
Log inCreate free account
Conditions are worth watching: heavy rain has fallen nearby (24.4 mm in the last 24 hours at Rainfall station). Keep an eye on updates if heavy rain continues.
Updated 2026-10-09 15:12:30 UTC · Official GOV.UK warnings · Flood preparation & help guide
Waterfoot is a historic mill town and civil parish in the Borough of Rossendale between Rawtenstall and Bacup in Lancashire, England. The B6238 road from Burnley meets the A681 road, and Whitewell Brook the River Irwell.
Towns and villages near Waterfoot with a page of their own: the homes in a flood risk area there, the nearest river gauges, and recorded floods.
Water · Haslingden · Whitworth · Oswaldtwistle · Church
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 Irwell, about 10 m from the middle of Waterfoot's gauges.
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 Irwell nearest the middle of Waterfoot'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.
Waterfoot is monitored by 1 Environment Agency river level station on the River Irwell, in Lancashire. Water levels are updated every 15 minutes, providing real-time flood monitoring for the area.
The River Irwell is monitored by 1 station (Holt Mill Bridge). 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 Waterfoot. When the EA issues a flood warning for any of these areas, it will appear on this page. These include: Areas at risk include properties adjacent to the A681 Bacup Road between Holt Mill Road and Spring Gardens Street. Also at risk, Victoria Parade, and parts of Schofield Street and Holt Mill Works; Properties adjacent to Brook including Globe, Dale, Gaghills, Mill End and Albion Mills. Waterfoot Business Centre. Properties on Burnley Road East, Rose, Booth and Clarke Holme Streets, the Close and Thornfield Avenue including the bakery; Areas at risk include properties along Burnley road between Riverside Park and Ashworth road. Also at risk are properties on Riverside Mews, Some property on Brock Clough Road and Shaw Clough Street.; Properties on and adjacent to Burnley Road; south of Constable Lee Bridge. Bocholt Way and Bacup Road from Bury Road to Lench Road. Properties near Hareholme mill, Victoria Works and Holme Lane including parts of New Hall Hey Road.
There are 39 storm overflows within 5km of Waterfoot. 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 Waterfoot, 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.
Waterfoot gets about 1,429 mm of rain a year on average (wettest month December, 167 mm; driest April, 82 mm). That is 23% wetter 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.
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 (24.4 mm in the last 24 hours at Rainfall station). Keep an eye on updates if heavy rain continues.
Waterfoot has river level monitoring on River Irwell — 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 18 recorded flood extents around the town centre since 1703, most recently in 2024. 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.
FloodRadar helper · beta