← Back
Water Level Easing
Easing — down from 0.51 at 06:45, now 0.49
0.49

Tellisford

Somerset Frome
Bristol Avon Little Avon Axe and North Somerset St catchment • Tellisford • Somerset • ID: 53120 • Level
(39m ago) • 4 readings/hr • 157 views

Set water level alerts

Get notified about Tellisford — tick as many as you like, they all share the notify settings below.

⤴ Unusual rise — FloodRadar+Top 1% rise rate for this gauge.
Drag the line on the chart, or type a value: mASD
Quick pick:

Each one is saved as its own alert — pause or remove them individually any time.

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

Current Level
0.494 mASD
▼ Easing
24h Max
0.583 mASD
24h Min
0.494 mASD
Typical Range
0.54 - 3.20
mASD
Highest Recorded
4.16 mASD
EA official record
3.91 in our data (since Nov 2012)
Current level is 12% of this
🚽 Sewage overflows nearby

Recent Water Levels

🌍 floodradar.co.uk
1 day

Recent Readings

Falling · -1 cm over 5h
08 Oct 13:15 ▬ steady 0.494 mASD
08 Oct 13:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.494 mASD
08 Oct 12:45 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.495 mASD
08 Oct 12:30 ▬ steady 0.496 mASD
08 Oct 12:15 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.496 mASD
08 Oct 12:00 ▬ steady 0.497 mASD
08 Oct 11:45 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.497 mASD
08 Oct 11:30 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.496 mASD
08 Oct 11:15 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.497 mASD
08 Oct 11:00 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.498 mASD
08 Oct 10:45 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.501 mASD
08 Oct 10:30 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.502 mASD
08 Oct 10:15 ▲ +0.3 cm 0.504 mASD
08 Oct 10:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.501 mASD
08 Oct 09:45 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.502 mASD
08 Oct 09:30 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.503 mASD
08 Oct 09:15 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.504 mASD
08 Oct 09:00 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.505 mASD
08 Oct 08:30 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.507 mASD
08 Oct 08:15 0.506 mASD

Station Details

  • Monitoring Station: Tellisford
  • Watercourse: Somerset Frome
  • Nearest Town: Tellisford
  • County: Somerset
  • Coordinates: 51°18'24"N 2°16'51"W (51.306790, -2.280873)
  • Open in: Google Maps · Apple Maps (opens your maps app)
  • Date Opened: 29 Mar 1965
  • Status: Active
  • Station Type: River level station
Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: 53120
  • RLOI id: 3049 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: 53120-level-2-i-15_min-mASD
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: mASD
  • Typical rise rate: 5 cm/hr (p95 sustained over 90 days)
  • Typical data delay: ~22 min (measured reading→publication lag)
  • Tidal: No
  • Lock / structure: No
  • Catchment Area: Bristol Avon Little Avon Axe and North Somerset St
  • Typical Range: 0.542 – 3.200 mASD
  • Drainage Area: 262 km² upstream of this gauge
  • Flow Data: Daily mean flow (m³/s) to 6 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: 0.50 mASD (EA at 8 Oct 13:00)
  • 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

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.

26 storm overflows are traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 2.2 km away along the river. 0 report discharging now, 24 report not discharging, and for 2 the monitor is offline or has not reported, so their status is not known.

💧
Wessex Water · into Somerset Frome(S) · 2.2 km upstream along the river
39 spills · 522 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into Trib Of The River Frome · 2.6 km upstream along the river
3 spills · 7 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into River Frome · 5.9 km upstream along the river
11 spills · 132 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into River Frome · 11.3 km upstream along the river
21 spills · 7 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into River Frome Via Sws · 11.5 km upstream along the river
31 spills · 10 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
Reaches the river through a sewer, so where it enters is approximate.
💧
Wessex Water · into River Frome(S) · 11.6 km upstream along the river
22 spills · 60 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into River Frome(S) · 11.6 km upstream along the river
0 spills · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now
💧
Wessex Water · into River Frome · 12.4 km upstream along the river
3 spills · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

18 more further upstream, up to 26.5 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.

💧
Wessex Water · into Trib Of Lam Brook Stream · 2.1 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
40 spills · 524 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into Tributary Of River Frome · 2.1 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
30 spills · 421 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into Tributary Of Biss Brook(S) · 5.4 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
0 spills · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now
💧
Wessex Water · into Trib Of Midford Brook (S) · 5.7 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
18 spills · 78 hours in 2025
No live feed for this overflow

19 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 3.20 m on about 1 day. This year so far: 0 days.

2026 0 days so far
2025 2 days
2024 5 days
2023 0 days
2022 0 days
2021 0 days
2020 0 days
2019 0 days
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 2008 for the 8 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 1.9 km away).

26flood warnings 76flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 27 Jan 2025 — River Biss upstream and downstream of Trowbridge

Year by year
YearWarningsAlerts
2026 0 1
2025 2 4
2024 9 13
2023 0 4
2022 0 3
2021 1 0
2020 2 4
2019 0 6
2018 1 1
2017 0 1
2016 1 3
2015 0 1
2014 2 7
2013 3 5
2012 5 13
2011 0 2
2009 0 2
2008 0 6

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 Tellisford flood history.

Flood areas linked to this gauge

Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. These are the 8 areas linked to this gauge, nearest first.

Catchment Character

🌊 Mixed response A balance of quick runoff and slower groundwater baseflow.

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
0.56
mixed response
Avg Annual Rainfall
1,005 mm/yr
1991–2020 · +4% since 1941–70
Urban Extent
2.3%
largely rural
Median Annual Flood
58.79 m³/s
QMED — typical yearly peak flow
Highest Daily Mean Flow
54.30 m³/s
6 Dec 1972 · daily mean, not the instantaneous peak
Flow-Duration Curve
mean 3.8513.002.150.6285% (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 13%Grassland 56%Arable 22%Urban 6%Other 3%
Grassland 69% → 56% since 1990

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

Trapezoidal critical depth flume opened in 1961. Ultrasonic gauge installed 2007.

More detail

The catchment

Predominantly limestone with impermeable clays in Frome Gap and Coal Measures in Mells Valley. Responsive catchment, however detention lakes 5 to 6km upstream may truncate peaks. Land use is predominantly rural. No major catchment changes.

The station

Station located 500m north of the village of Tellisford and was opened in 1961. Trapezoidal critical depth flume. Ultrasonic gauge installed 11/2007.

How it measures flow

Full range station. Deeply incised channel at station; all but extreme floods contained, although some over-bank upstream storage. It is believed station does not drown. Single rating based on the theoretical rating for flume. Few gaugings, most in the low flow range, high flows gauged upstream due to some bypassing. Estimated 100-year flow would be contained by structure.

Flow regime

Substantial groundwater abstractions in catchment. Detention lakes 5 to 6km upstream may truncate peaks. Pumping station upstream of gauging station. Hydro-power u/s, effects low flows.

The flow record

Full period of record peak flow data reviewed and released in September 2020 (WINFAP Files v9).

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
Flume
Operating since
1961
Station datum
35.1 mAOD
Flow record
1961–2024 · 63 yrs · 100% complete
Peak-flow record
since 1961
Hydrometric area
53
Measured by
Environment Agency

Frequently asked questions

Is the Somerset Frome at Tellisford flooding today?

The current level is 0.49m, which is below the typical range. Flooding is very unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at Tellisford?

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 7.0mm 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 Somerset Frome at Tellisford?

The typical range at this station is 0.54m to 3.20m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 3.20m 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.

Embed this gauge on your website

Free live river-level widget — ideal for parish councils, angling clubs and local sites. Updates automatically.

Preview

📮 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 →