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1.11

Sawbridgeworth

Stort
Stort catchment • Sawbridgeworth • Essex • ID: 5151TH • Level
(29m ago) • 4 readings/hr • 165 views

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Current Level
1.107 mASD
▬ Steady
24h Max
1.116 mASD
24h Min
1.074 mASD
Typical Range
0.94 - 1.63
mASD
Highest Recorded
1.98 mASD
EA official record
2.00 in our data (since Jan 2003)
Current level is 56% of this
🚽 Sewage overflows nearby

Recent Water Levels

🌍 floodradar.co.uk
1 day

Recent Readings

Falling · -0.8 cm over 5h
08 Oct 03:45 ▼ -0.2 cm 1.107 mASD
08 Oct 03:30 ▬ steady 1.109 mASD
08 Oct 03:15 ▬ steady 1.109 mASD
08 Oct 03:00 ▬ steady 1.109 mASD
08 Oct 02:45 ▼ -0.2 cm 1.109 mASD
08 Oct 02:30 ▬ steady 1.111 mASD
08 Oct 02:15 ▬ steady 1.110 mASD
08 Oct 02:00 ▬ steady 1.110 mASD
08 Oct 01:45 ▬ steady 1.111 mASD
08 Oct 01:30 ▼ -0.2 cm 1.111 mASD
08 Oct 01:15 ▬ steady 1.113 mASD
08 Oct 01:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 1.113 mASD
08 Oct 00:45 ▬ steady 1.114 mASD
08 Oct 00:30 ▲ +0.2 cm 1.114 mASD
08 Oct 00:15 ▬ steady 1.112 mASD
08 Oct 00:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 1.113 mASD
07 Oct 23:45 ▬ steady 1.114 mASD
07 Oct 23:30 ▬ steady 1.115 mASD
07 Oct 23:15 ▬ steady 1.114 mASD
07 Oct 23:00 1.115 mASD

Station Details

  • Monitoring Station: Sawbridgeworth
  • Watercourse: River Stort
  • Nearest Town: Sawbridgeworth
  • County: Essex
  • Coordinates: 51°48'44"N 0°9'31"E (51.812151, 0.158674)
  • Open in: Google Maps · Apple Maps (opens your maps app)
  • Date Opened: 1 Jan 2002
  • Status: Active
  • Station Type: River level station
Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: 5151TH
  • RLOI id: 7351 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: 5151TH-level-stage-i-15_min-mASD
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: mASD
  • Typical rise rate: 2 cm/hr (p95 sustained over 90 days)
  • Typical data delay: ~22 min (measured reading→publication lag)
  • Tidal: No
  • Lock / structure: No
  • Catchment Area: Stort
  • Typical Range: 0.939 – 1.633 mASD
  • EA Cross-check: 1.11 mASD (EA at 8 Oct 03:45)

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

Connected downstream

Same river system, separate branch

Nearby

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.

4 storm overflows are traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 3.6 km away along the river. 0 report discharging now, 4 report not discharging.

💧
Thames Water · into Little Hallingbury Brook · 3.6 km upstream along the river
26 spills · 209 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Stort Navigation · 6.7 km upstream along the river
1 spill · 1 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Great Hallingbury Brook · 9.7 km upstream along the river
0 spills · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now
💧
Thames Water · into The River Stort · 12.6 km upstream along the river
28 spills · 313 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.

💧
Thames Water · into High Wych Ditch · 2.8 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
1 spill · 1 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Hatfield Heath Watercourse · 3.5 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
29 spills · 565 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Pinsey Brook · 5.9 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
2 spills · 3 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

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 1.63 m on about 1 day. This year so far: 0 days.

2026 0 days so far
2025 1 day
2024 2 days
2023 1 day
2022 0 days
2021 2 days
2020 0 days
2019 1 day
2018 0 days
2017 0 days

Counted from each day's highest reading. Days with missing or implausible readings are left out.

Flood history near this gauge

Official Environment Agency warnings issued since 2009 for the 11 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 1.2 km away).

11flood warnings 118flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 14 Jan 2021 — River Stort at Harlow

Year by year
YearWarningsAlerts
2026 0 4
2025 0 4
2024 0 16
2023 0 7
2022 0 1
2021 1 9
2020 0 11
2019 0 4
2017 0 4
2016 0 10
2015 0 1
2014 3 16
2013 0 8
2012 4 13
2011 0 4
2010 1 1
2009 2 5

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 Sawbridgeworth flood history.

Flood areas linked to this gauge

Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. These are the 11 areas linked to this gauge, nearest first.

Show 3 more

Frequently asked questions

Is the River Stort at Sawbridgeworth flooding today?

The current level is 1.11m, which is within the typical range of 0.94 to 1.63m. Flooding is unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at Sawbridgeworth?

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

What is a normal level for the River Stort at Sawbridgeworth?

The typical range at this station is 0.94m to 1.63m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 1.63m 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 →