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0.02

Benson Lock

Thames ⚙ Structure
Vale of White Horse catchment • Benson • Oxfordshire • ID: 2001TH • Level
(32m ago) • 4 readings/hr • 166 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
0.021 mASD
▬ Steady
24h Max
0.032 mASD
24h Min
-0.016 mASD
Typical Range
0.04 - 0.31
mASD
Highest Recorded
1.77 mASD
EA official record
1.12 in our data (since Nov 2012)
Current level is 1% of this
🚽 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

Rising · +0.2 cm over 5h
10 Oct 05:15 ▬ steady 0.021 mASD
10 Oct 05:00 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.021 mASD
10 Oct 04:45 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.020 mASD
10 Oct 04:30 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.021 mASD
10 Oct 04:15 ▬ steady 0.020 mASD
10 Oct 04:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.020 mASD
10 Oct 03:45 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.021 mASD
10 Oct 03:30 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.020 mASD
10 Oct 03:15 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.019 mASD
10 Oct 03:00 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.020 mASD
10 Oct 02:45 ▬ steady 0.019 mASD
10 Oct 02:30 ▬ steady 0.019 mASD
10 Oct 02:15 ▬ steady 0.019 mASD
10 Oct 02:00 ▬ steady 0.019 mASD
10 Oct 01:45 ▬ steady 0.019 mASD
10 Oct 01:30 ▬ steady 0.019 mASD
10 Oct 01:15 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.019 mASD
10 Oct 01:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.020 mASD
10 Oct 00:45 ▲ +0.2 cm 0.021 mASD
10 Oct 00:30 0.019 mASD

Station Details

  • Monitoring Station: Benson Lock
  • Watercourse: River Thames
  • Nearest Town: Benson
  • County: Oxfordshire
  • Nearest reservoir: Farmoor (22.4 km) · 76.0% full (as of 31 Aug 2026)
  • Coordinates: 51°37'2"N 1°6'58"W (51.617191, -1.116011)
  • Open in: Google Maps · Apple Maps (opens your maps app)
  • Date Opened: 1 Jan 1995
  • Status: Active
  • Station Type: River level station (multi-sensor)
Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: 2001TH
  • RLOI id: 7099 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: 2001TH-level-stage-i-15_min-mASD
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: mASD
  • Typical rise rate: 7 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: Vale of White Horse
  • Datum: 0.000m AOD
  • Typical Range: 0.038 – 0.310 mASD
  • EA Cross-check: 0.02 mASD (EA at 10 Oct 05:15)

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

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.

69 storm overflows are traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 5.7 km away along the river. 0 report discharging now, 68 report not discharging, and for 1 the monitor is offline or has not reported, so their status is not known.

💧
Thames Water · into Thame · 5.7 km upstream along the river
15 spills · 121 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Moor Ditch · 16.0 km upstream along the river
26 spills · 339 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Ginge Brook · 20.5 km upstream along the river
47 spills · 639 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Pyrton Stream · 26.8 km upstream along the river
30 spills · 137 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
Placed on the river by its position alone.
💧
Thames Water · into Thames · 31.0 km upstream along the river
1 spill · 6 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Marcham Brook · 32.8 km upstream along the river
17 spills · 159 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Letcombe Brook · 33.6 km upstream along the river
30 spills · 170 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Thames Water · into Danes Brook · 35.9 km upstream along the river
38 spills · 462 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

61 more further upstream, up to 118.4 km away along the river.

Nearby, connection not known

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

💧
Benson STW🏊 Bathing water
Thames Water · into Howbery Ditch · 1.1 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
18 spills · 361 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

2 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...

Flood history near this gauge

Official Environment Agency warnings issued since 2008 for the 9 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 1.8 km away).

40flood warnings 101flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 27 Nov 2024 — River Thames from Days Lock down to South Stoke

Year by year
YearWarningsAlerts
2026 0 13
2025 0 9
2024 14 12
2023 1 15
2022 0 1
2021 3 5
2020 3 8
2019 1 6
2018 0 4
2016 0 7
2015 0 1
2014 10 0
2013 1 10
2012 6 6
2010 0 1
2009 1 2
2008 0 1

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 Benson flood history.

Flood areas linked to this gauge

Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. These are the 9 areas linked to this gauge, nearest first.

Show 1 more

Frequently asked questions

Is the River Thames at Benson Lock flooding today?

The current level is 0.02m, which is below the typical range. Flooding is very unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at Benson Lock?

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.

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. 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 River Thames at Benson Lock?

The typical range at this station is 0.04m to 0.31m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 0.31m 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 →