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0.89

Sheepwash Bridge

Cuckmere & Pevensey Levels 🌊 Tidal
Cuckmere and Pevensey Levels catchment • Sheepwash Bridge • East Sussex • ID: E6980 • Level
This gauge is tidally influenced — levels rise and fall with each tide, so rapid changes here are normal and don't necessarily indicate flooding.
⚙ Tidally influenced - confirmed by cross-correlation with a nearby tide gauge (auto-classifier missed it). Excluded from rising-rivers rankings and the prediction models.
(30m ago) • 4 readings/hr • 160 views

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Not an emergency service — if in danger call 999. Alerts rely on EA/SEPA/NRW data and are best-efforts. Terms

Current Level
0.893 mAOD
▼ Easing
24h Max
1.106 mAOD
24h Min
0.893 mAOD
Typical Range
0.90 - 1.80
mAOD
Highest Recorded
2.82 mAOD
EA official record
3.03 in our data (since Jun 2000)
🚽 Sewage overflows nearby

Recent Water Levels

🌍 floodradar.co.uk
1 day

Flood predictions aren't generated for tidal gauges — their levels are driven by the tide, not by catchment rainfall, so the forecast models would have no skill here.

Recent Readings

Falling · -6 cm over 5h
08 Oct 20:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.893 mAOD
08 Oct 19:45 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.894 mAOD
08 Oct 19:30 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.896 mAOD
08 Oct 19:15 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.897 mAOD
08 Oct 19:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.900 mAOD
08 Oct 18:45 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.901 mAOD
08 Oct 18:30 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.904 mAOD
08 Oct 18:15 ▼ -0.4 cm 0.905 mAOD
08 Oct 18:00 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.909 mAOD
08 Oct 17:45 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.911 mAOD
08 Oct 17:30 ▼ -0.4 cm 0.914 mAOD
08 Oct 17:15 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.918 mAOD
08 Oct 17:00 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.920 mAOD
08 Oct 16:45 ▼ -0.5 cm 0.923 mAOD
08 Oct 16:30 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.928 mAOD
08 Oct 16:15 ▼ -0.5 cm 0.931 mAOD
08 Oct 16:00 ▼ -0.4 cm 0.936 mAOD
08 Oct 15:45 ▼ -0.5 cm 0.940 mAOD
08 Oct 15:30 ▼ -0.4 cm 0.945 mAOD
08 Oct 15:15 0.949 mAOD

Station Details

Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: E6980
  • RLOI id: 1167 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: E6980-level-stage-i-15_min-mAOD
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: mAOD
  • Typical rise rate: 11 cm/hr (p95 sustained over 90 days)
  • Typical data delay: ~22 min (measured reading→publication lag)
  • Tidal: 🌊 Yes — levels follow the tide
  • Lock / structure: No
  • Catchment Area: Cuckmere and Pevensey Levels
  • Typical Range: 0.900 – 1.800 mAOD
  • EA Cross-check: 0.89 mAOD (EA at 8 Oct 19:45)

Geographic coordinates may reflect the access point for the gauge, and not the precise location in the watercourse that it is taking readings from.

Nearby Stations

Gauges connected to this river, and others nearby. A distance “by river” follows the river on the map; any other is in a straight line.

Connected upstream

Distances by river: OS Open Rivers. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026.

💧 Storm overflows upstream of this gauge

Storm overflows whose water reaches this gauge on the mapped river network, nearest first by distance along the river. The status is each water company's monitor: it says whether an overflow is discharging, not how much or what it contains.

1 storm overflow is traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 4.2 km away along the river. 0 report discharging now, 1 reports not discharging.

💧
Southern Water · into Powdermill Stream · 4.2 km upstream along the river
37 spills · 85 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

Nearby, connection not known

Within 6 km in a straight line, but the river map cannot say whether their water passes this gauge.

💧
Southern Water · into The English Channel · 880 m away in a straight line · discharges to the sea, an estuary or tidal water
0 spills · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Southern Water · into English Channel · 880 m away in a straight line · discharges to the sea, an estuary or tidal water
2 spills · 6 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
York Road Bexhill CEO🏊 Bathing water
Southern Water · into Combe Haven · 1.3 km away in a straight line · discharges to the sea, an estuary or tidal water
5 spills · 9 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Galley Hill Bexhill CEO🏊 Bathing water
Southern Water · into English Channel · 2.4 km away in a straight line · discharges to the sea, an estuary or tidal water
5 spills · 46 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Coombs Hastings CEO🏊 Bathing water
Southern Water · into The English Channel · 2.8 km away in a straight line · discharges to the sea, an estuary or tidal water
3 spills · 5 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Bexhill And Hastings WwTW🏊 Bathing water
Southern Water · into English Channel · 3.5 km away in a straight line · discharges to the sea, an estuary or tidal water
99 spills · 818 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Bexhill Down Tank CSO🏊 Bathing water
Southern Water · into Controlled Sea · 4.0 km away in a straight line · discharges to the sea, an estuary or tidal water
6 spills · 46 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Southern Water · into Tributary Of Combe Haven River · 4.0 km away in a straight line · discharges to the sea, an estuary or tidal water
6 spills · 3 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

7 more within 6 km whose connection is not known.

These are the water companies' monitor statuses; a spill does not by itself explain a change in the gauge level. River connections and distances are traced on OS Open Rivers (edition 2026-04), which leaves out many small channels. Explore the sewage map →

Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026.

Rainfall & Weather

Loading rainfall and weather data...

How often this river runs high

In a typical year this gauge reaches its typical high of 1.80 m on about 82 days. This year so far: 57 days.

2026 57 days so far
2025 64 days
2024 132 days, 8 of them high · 8 high
2023 141 days, 27 of them high · 27 high
2022 66 days, 2 of them high · 2 high
2021 69 days
2020 85 days, 5 of them high · 5 high
2019 80 days, 4 of them high · 4 high
2018 66 days
2017 31 days

Counted from each day's highest reading. Days with missing or implausible readings are left out. The darker part is days above 2.53 m, the level this gauge tops only a few days a year.

Flood history near this gauge

Official Environment Agency warnings issued since 2012 for the 13 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 0.3 km away).

33flood warnings 191flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 26 Feb 2024 — Bulverhythe

Year by year
YearWarningsAlerts
2026 0 11
2025 0 12
2024 3 22
2023 6 12
2022 1 11
2021 0 4
2020 7 16
2019 5 14
2018 0 1
2017 1 4
2016 1 8
2015 2 18
2014 5 41
2013 1 14
2012 1 3

Warnings apply to a whole flood area, not necessarily this exact spot. Years before 2006 aren't covered by the EA's historic record. See also the Sheepwash Bridge flood history.

Flood areas linked to this gauge

Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. These are the 13 areas linked to this gauge, nearest first.

Show 5 more

Frequently asked questions

Is the Cuckmere & Pevensey Levels at Sheepwash Bridge flooding today?

The current level is 0.89m, which is below the typical range. Flooding is very unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at Sheepwash Bridge?

Based on the most recent readings, the level is currently falling slightly. The chart above shows the last 12 hours of measurements by default (up to 7 days), updated roughly every 15 minutes.

Why is the level slowly falling?

When little or no rain has fallen for a while, a river level gradually drops as the water stored in the ground and soil drains away with nothing to replace it. This is called baseflow recession and is normal in dry spells. Only about 6.2mm of rain has fallen nearby in the last 7 days, so the flow is being sustained mainly by groundwater. A gentle decline like this is expected and is not a sign of a problem — downstream gauges often recede a little faster than headwaters further upstream, and levels recover once rain returns.

What is a normal level for the Cuckmere & Pevensey Levels at Sheepwash Bridge?

The typical range at this station is 0.90m to 1.80m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 1.80m are higher than usually seen and may indicate a flood risk.

How often is this river level data updated?

Readings are supplied by the Environment Agency gauge. FloodRadar checks for updates roughly every 15 minutes; the timestamp above shows how recent the latest available reading is.

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📮 Flood risk by postcode near this gauge

Postcodes within 5 km with properties in the Environment Agency’s rivers-and-sea flood-risk bands:

Check any UK postcode’s flood risk →

🏠 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 →