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Water Level Falling
Down from 0.92 at 20:30, now 0.70
0.70

Ashton Weir

Mersey ⚙ Structure
Upper Mersey catchment • Urmston • Greater Manchester • ID: 692726 • Level
(33m ago) • 4 readings/hr • 129 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
0.696 m
▼ Falling (-2cm/hr)
24h Max
1.068 m
24h Min
0.495 m
Typical Range
0.29 - 3.50
m
Highest Recorded
4.15 m
EA official record
A 12.77 reading (28 Feb 2025) sits in our unverified raw history and is not treated as the record
Current level is 17% of this
Current Flow
Loading...
🚽 Sewage overflows nearby

Recent Water Levels

🌍 floodradar.co.uk
1 day

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

Recent Readings

Falling · -15 cm over 5h
10 Oct 05:15 ▼ -0.6 cm 0.696 m
10 Oct 05:00 ▼ -0.6 cm 0.702 m
10 Oct 04:45 ▼ -0.6 cm 0.708 m
10 Oct 04:30 ▼ -0.8 cm 0.714 m
10 Oct 04:15 ▼ -0.6 cm 0.722 m
10 Oct 04:00 ▼ -0.6 cm 0.728 m
10 Oct 03:45 ▼ -0.8 cm 0.734 m
10 Oct 03:30 ▼ -0.7 cm 0.742 m
10 Oct 03:15 ▼ -0.7 cm 0.749 m
10 Oct 03:00 ▼ -0.9 cm 0.756 m
10 Oct 02:45 ▼ -0.8 cm 0.765 m
10 Oct 02:30 ▼ -1 cm 0.773 m
10 Oct 02:15 ▼ -0.9 cm 0.783 m
10 Oct 02:00 ▼ -1 cm 0.792 m
10 Oct 01:45 ▼ -0.9 cm 0.802 m
10 Oct 01:30 ▼ -1.0 cm 0.811 m
10 Oct 01:15 ▼ -0.9 cm 0.821 m
10 Oct 01:00 ▼ -1 cm 0.830 m
10 Oct 00:45 ▼ -1 cm 0.840 m
10 Oct 00:30 0.850 m

Station Details

  • Monitoring Station: Ashton Weir
  • Watercourse: River Mersey
  • Nearest Town: Urmston
  • County: Greater Manchester
  • Coordinates: 53°26'18"N 2°20'39"W (53.438308, -2.344072)
  • Open in: Google Maps · Apple Maps (opens your maps app)
  • Date Opened: 1 Jun 1976
  • Status: Active
  • Station Type: River level station
Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: 692726
  • RLOI id: 5008 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: 692726-level-stage-i-15_min-m
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: m
  • Typical rise rate: 3 cm/hr (p95 sustained over 90 days)
  • Typical data delay: ~22 min (measured reading→publication lag)
  • Tidal: No
  • Lock / structure: ⚙ Yes — lock, weir, sluice or pump
  • Catchment Area: Upper Mersey
  • Typical Range: 0.293 – 3.500 m
  • Drainage Area: 660 km² upstream of this gauge
  • Flow Data: Daily mean flow (m³/s) to 8 Oct (2 days behind — the EA publishes each day's mean a day or two after it ends; unchecked, provisional) via EA Hydrology
  • EA Cross-check: 0.70 m (EA at 10 Oct 05:15)
  • Flow Archive: National River Flow Archive ↗

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

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.

176 storm overflows are traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 750 m away along the river. 4 report discharging now, 162 report not discharging, and for 10 the monitor is offline or has not reported, so their status is not known.

💧
United Utilities · into River Mersey · 750 m upstream along the river
34 spills · 136 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
United Utilities · into River Mersey · 750 m upstream along the river
51 spills · 81 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
United Utilities · into River Mersey · 1.2 km upstream along the river
31 spills · 383 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
United Utilities · into River Mersey (Under M63) · 2.6 km upstream along the river
16 spills · 41 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
United Utilities · into Riv. Mersey/Kickety Brook · 2.8 km upstream along the river
10 spills · 39 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
United Utilities · into River Mersey · 3.6 km upstream along the river
55 spills · 141 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
United Utilities · into Chorlton Brook Via Sws · 4.4 km upstream along the river
25 spills · 33 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
Reaches the river through a sewer, so where it enters is approximate.
💧
United Utilities · into River Mersey · 4.9 km upstream along the river
67 spills · 330 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

168 more further upstream, up to 61.1 km away along the river.

Also discharging now further upstream: Denton Transfer Pumping Station (29.1 km), Ashton-Under-Lyne STW (38.5 km), Torrs Diversion CSO 21123 (42.1 km), Glossop STW (SPS) (42.3 km).

Nearby, connection not known

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

💧
United Utilities · into Stromford Brook · 790 m away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
89 spills · 680 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
United Utilities · into Stromford Brook · 790 m away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
45 spills · 21 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
United Utilities · into Stromford Brook · 1.1 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
6 spills · 11 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
United Utilities · into Stromford Brk Trib Rvr Mersey · 1.1 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
24 spills · 41 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
United Utilities · into Stromford Brook Via Sws · 1.1 km away in a straight line · reaches the river through a sewer or culvert
74 spills · 107 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
United Utilities · into Stromford Brook · 1.1 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
24 spills · 37 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
United Utilities · into Stromford Brook · 1.1 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
8 spills · 20 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
United Utilities · into Bent Lanes Brook Via Sw Sewer · 2.2 km away in a straight line · its water cannot be followed on the map
54 spills · 176 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

42 more within 6 km whose connection is not known.

5 other overflows within 6 km are downstream of this gauge or on another branch of the river network, so they are not listed.

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

2026 0 days so far
2025 4 days
2024 0 days
2023 0 days
2022 0 days
2021 1 day
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 2006 for the 23 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 0.3 km away).

1severe warning 90flood warnings 198flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 14 Nov 2025 — River Mersey at Cheadle Wood and Ford lane

Year by year
YearSevereWarningsAlerts
2026 0 0 6
2025 0 23 10
2024 0 6 16
2023 0 4 14
2022 0 6 10
2021 1 12 18
2020 0 7 16
2019 0 17 24
2018 0 0 1
2017 0 0 8
2016 0 2 7
2015 0 6 6
2014 0 1 3
2013 0 0 3
2012 0 5 19
2011 0 1 3
2010 0 0 7
2009 0 0 5
2008 0 0 11
2007 0 0 7
2006 0 0 4

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 Urmston flood history.

Flood areas linked to this gauge

Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. These are the 23 areas linked to this gauge, nearest first.

Show 15 more

Catchment Character

🌊 Fairly flashy Responds fairly quickly to rain, with moderate baseflow between events.

Your catchment is all the land that drains rainfall into the river above this gauge. Its character — how steep, wet, wooded, urban or chalky that land is — decides how fast rain here turns into a rising river. A steep, bare or clay catchment is “flashy” (rises and falls quickly, floods easily); a flat, chalk or well-wooded one is slow and steady. The tiles below put numbers to that; the flow-duration curve reads left-to-right from the river’s typical high flows (Q5) down to its low flows (Q95) — a steep curve means a flashy river.

The physical character of the land that drains to this gauge, and how it shapes its flood response — from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH).

Baseflow Index
0.41
mixed response
Avg Annual Rainfall
1,181 mm/yr
1991–2020 · +7% since 1941–70
Urban Extent
14%
partly urbanised
Median Annual Flood
167 m³/s
QMED — typical yearly peak flow
Highest Daily Mean Flow
222 m³/s
20 Jan 2021 · daily mean, not the instantaneous peak
Flow-Duration Curve
mean 14.2740.309.503.965% (high)% of days exceeded95% (low)
Daily flow (m³/s) exceeded each % of the time — a steep curve is flashy, a flat one is steady. Q5 high · Q50 median · Q95 low.
Land Cover (2023)
Woodland 6%Grassland 48%Heath/scrub 20%Urban 24%Other 1%

Flow affected by: surface-water abstraction, public water supply, groundwater abstraction, effluent returns, industrial / agricultural abstraction.

Photos

Gauging-station photographs from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH).

Photos © NRFA / UKCEH & the measuring authority — shown at web resolution. Full gallery on the NRFA ↗

About this gauge

Compound broad-crested weir with ultrasonics. Peak flows truncated by flood storage basins.

More detail

The catchment

A steep westward draining Pennine catchment with headwaters in the Peak District. Geology is a mixture of gritstones on high ground and Triassic marls and sandstones overlain with postglacial deposits in the west. Land use transition from open moorland to the heavily urbanised lower catchment (includes much of south Manchester).

The station

Station opened in 1958 as a replacement for Irlam Weir (69001) downstream. A compound broad-crested weir, 24m wide overall, with central lower section 12.2m wide and 0.49m lower than flanking crests (no divide piers). A 5-level cross-path Ultrasonic station was commissioned March 2009 just upstream of the weir, and upgraded in March 2024. A fish pass was added in March 2012 - ultrasonic flows are not affected. Two-stage channel profile, with a step at 4.5m and bankfull at 5.5m.

How it measures flow

The weir is insensitive at low flows and drowns at high flows. Flows contained - no bypassing. Low and medium flows generally reliable. Peak flows reliable since cross path ultrasonic gauge installed for high flow measurement in March 2009. Cableway demolished during construction of motorway in 1978, then re-instated for most recent high flow gaugings in late 1990's and removed late 2000's. Until March 2009 flows derived from rating, based on gaugings. High flow gaugings in 1998 from cableway revealed a complex stage-discharge pattern (hysteresis) above 100m3/s, which is thought to be due to variable backwater (differential drowning of the weir crest and seasonal variations in vegetation growth affecting the conveyance). Ultrasonic gauge confirms the hysteresis. A fish pass was added in March 2012 - ultrasonic flows are not affected. Flood Studies Report grade B.

Flow regime

Responsive regime despite substantial reservoir development in the headwaters (Longdendale reservoirs control 10% of the catchment). Several smaller reservoirs in the Tame and Goyt catchments control a further 13% of the catchment. Flood flows are truncated by operation of offline storage basins at Didsbury and Sale Ees upstream.

The flow record

Peak flows (over 100 m3s-1) before installation of the ultrasonic measurement in March 2009 are likely to be significantly overestimated. Full period of record peak flow data reviewed and released in October 2018 (WINFAP Files v7).

Descriptions from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH). NRFA station record ↗

Gauge Details

How this gauging station is built and how long it has measured (NRFA / UKCEH).

Gauge type
Gauging structure
Operating since
1958
Station datum
14.9 mAOD
Flow record
1976–2024 · 48 yrs · 99% complete
Peak-flow record
since 1958
Hydrometric area
69
Measured by
Environment Agency

Frequently asked questions

Is the River Mersey at Ashton Weir flooding today?

The current level is 0.70m, which is within the typical range of 0.29 to 3.50m. Flooding is unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at Ashton Weir?

Based on the most recent readings, the level is currently falling. 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 Mersey at Ashton Weir?

The typical range at this station is 0.29m to 3.50m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 3.50m 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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Free live river-level widget — ideal for parish councils, angling clubs and local sites. Updates automatically.

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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 →