This gauge is tidally influenced — levels rise and fall with each tide, so rapid changes here
are normal and don't necessarily indicate flooding.
(21m ago) • 4 readings/hr • 164 views
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You'll be notified when this gauge is rising more than 0.10 m/hr — a sign of rapidly increasing water levels.
You'll be notified when a new storm-overflow (sewage) discharge starts within ~3 km of this gauge, based on the water companies' near-real-time feeds.
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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
2.798 mAOD
▲▼ Crested · peaked 2.91
24h Max
3.139 mAOD
24h Min
-0.455 mAOD
Typical Range
-
Highest Recorded
4.00 mAOD
EA official record
4.32 in our data (since Nov 2012)
ⓘ
Flood alert
The Essex coast from Clacton to and including, St Peters Flat and the Colne and Blackwater estuaries
High tides today may lead to flooding.
Flooding is possible from 11:15am to 1:15pm on Saturday 10th October.
Clacton Promenade, Lee-over-Sands and Brightlingsea sea front may see some wave overtopping and spray. The Strood at Mersea Island, Coast Road and car parks on the front at West Mersea, and the Hythe and Promenade at Maldon may be flooded. The detailed forecast is for a peak level at Clacton of 2.77 mAODN at 12:15pm, on Saturday 10th October, which is 0.28m above tide tables, Wind Force 5, Westerly. Tides will remain high over the next couple of days.
We are closely monitoring the situation .
Avoid coastal roads, footpaths and carparks, which may be flooded.
This message will be updated by 5:00PM on Saturday 10 October or as the situation changes.
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.
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.
19 storm overflows are traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 2.1 km away along the river. 0 report discharging now, 19 report not discharging.
Anglian Water · into Tidal River Colne · 3.3 km away in a straight line · discharges to the sea, an estuary or tidal water
6 spills · 12 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
9 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 →
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 Wivenhoe flood history.
Flood areas linked to this gauge
Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. These are the 7 areas linked to this gauge, nearest first.
Is the Essex Coast at Colne Barrier flooding today?
The latest recorded level is 2.80m. Compare it with the recent history on the chart above to judge whether levels are unusually high.
Is the river level rising or falling at Colne Barrier?
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.
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:
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