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Water Level Rising Slightly
Up 0.03 m since 22:45, rising slightly
0.16

Polesworth

Anker ⚙ Structure
Tame Anker and Mease catchment • Polesworth • Warwickshire • ID: 4026 • Level
(48m ago) • 3 readings/hr • 207 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
0.160 mASD
▲ Rising slightly
24h Max
0.160 mASD
24h Min
0.127 mASD
Typical Range
0.12 - 0.70
mASD
Highest Recorded
2.58 mASD
EA official record
2.37 in our data (since Jun 1967)
Current level is 6% 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 · +2 cm over 7h
08 Oct 09:45 ▬ steady 0.160 mASD
08 Oct 09:15 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.160 mASD
08 Oct 09:00 ▬ steady 0.159 mASD
08 Oct 08:45 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.159 mASD
08 Oct 08:30 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.158 mASD
08 Oct 08:00 ▬ steady 0.157 mASD
08 Oct 07:30 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.157 mASD
08 Oct 07:00 ▲ +0.2 cm 0.156 mASD
08 Oct 06:30 ▬ steady 0.154 mASD
08 Oct 06:15 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.154 mASD
08 Oct 06:00 ▲ +0.2 cm 0.153 mASD
08 Oct 05:30 ▬ steady 0.151 mASD
08 Oct 05:15 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.151 mASD
08 Oct 05:00 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.150 mASD
08 Oct 04:45 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.149 mASD
08 Oct 04:30 ▲ +0.3 cm 0.148 mASD
08 Oct 03:45 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.145 mASD
08 Oct 03:30 ▲ +0.3 cm 0.144 mASD
08 Oct 03:00 ▬ steady 0.141 mASD
08 Oct 02:45 0.140 mASD

Station Details

  • Monitoring Station: Polesworth
  • Watercourse: River Anker
  • Nearest Town: Polesworth
  • County: Warwickshire
  • Nearest reservoir: Foremark (21.4 km) · 53.5% full (as of 5 Oct 2026)
  • Coordinates: 52°37'40"N 1°36'47"W (52.627897, -1.613026)
  • Open in: Google Maps · Apple Maps (opens your maps app)
  • Date Opened: 7 Sep 1966
  • Status: Active
  • Station Type: River level station (multi-sensor)
Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: 4026
  • RLOI id: 2112 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: 4026-level-stage-i-15_min-mASD
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: mASD
  • Typical rise rate: 1 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: Tame Anker and Mease
  • Typical Range: 0.122 – 0.703 mASD
  • Drainage Area: 368 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: -1.64 mASD (EA at 8 Oct 09:45)
  • 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.

42 storm overflows are traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 1.3 km away along the river. 0 report discharging now, 41 report not discharging, and for 1 the monitor is offline or has not reported, so their status is not known.

💧
Severn Trent Water · into River Anker · 1.3 km upstream along the river
18 spills · 162 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into River Anker · 2.3 km upstream along the river
4 spills · 2 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into River Anker · 2.3 km upstream along the river
10 spills · 113 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into Penmire Brook · 7.7 km upstream along the river
19 spills · 67 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into Trib Of Penmire Brook · 7.8 km upstream along the river
8 spills · 24 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into Sence Brook · 11.5 km upstream along the river
9 spills · 69 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into River Sence (Soar) · 13.8 km upstream along the river
24 spills · 389 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into Trib Of River Sence (Anker) · 17.2 km upstream along the river
32 spills · 195 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

34 more further upstream, up to 36.3 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.

💧
Severn Trent Water · into Trb River Anker · 2.5 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
4 spills · 2 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into Newton Regis Brook · 4.0 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
27 spills · 80 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into Tributary Of The River Anker · 4.0 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
48 spills · 218 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into Tributary Of River Anker · 5.1 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
1 spill · 1 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into Tributary Of River Tame · 5.1 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
6 spills · 5 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into Kettle Brook · 5.1 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
2 spills · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into Tributary Of River Anker · 5.2 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
8 spills · 41 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Severn Trent Water · into Tributary Of River Tame · 5.6 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
8 spills · 48 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

1 more within 6 km whose connection is not known.

3 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 0.70 m on about 38 days. This year so far: 36 days.

2026 36 days, 6 of them high · 6 high so far
2025 30 days, 6 of them high · 6 high
2024 68 days, 16 of them high · 16 high
2023 53 days, 5 of them high · 5 high
2022 28 days, 2 of them high · 2 high
2021 34 days, 3 of them high · 3 high
2020 40 days, 2 of them high · 2 high
2019 58 days, 9 of them high · 9 high
2018 22 days, 4 of them high · 4 high
2017 13 days, 2 of them high · 2 high

Counted from each day's highest reading. Days with missing or implausible readings are left out. The darker part is days above 1.39 m, the level this gauge tops only a few days a year.

Flood history near this gauge

Official Environment Agency warnings issued since 2006 for the 9 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 0.3 km away).

186flood warnings 165flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 1 Mar 2026 — River Anker at Amington, Tamworth

Year by year
YearWarningsAlerts
2026 19 13
2025 14 5
2024 31 17
2023 11 13
2022 1 9
2021 7 10
2020 16 15
2019 19 14
2018 4 8
2017 3 2
2016 6 6
2014 9 9
2013 10 7
2012 33 10
2010 0 5
2009 0 3
2008 3 9
2007 0 9
2006 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 Polesworth 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

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
0.45
mixed response
Avg Annual Rainfall
697 mm/yr
1991–2020 · +3% since 1941–70
Urban Extent
7.8%
partly urbanised
Median Annual Flood
48.15 m³/s
QMED — typical yearly peak flow
Highest Daily Mean Flow
82.00 m³/s
25 Nov 2012 · daily mean, not the instantaneous peak
Flow-Duration Curve
mean 3.1610.201.810.7595% (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 34%Arable 41%Urban 18%Other 1%
Arable 50% → 41% since 1990

Flow affected by: groundwater abstraction, effluent returns.

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

Crump profile weir with flanking floodbanks to contain out-of-channel flows draining a highly responsive catchment.

More detail

The catchment

Lower reaches drain Permian and Triassic Sandstones and the Coal Measures. Sherwood sandstone and Mercia Mudstone over the remainder of the catchment are widely blanketed with Boulder Clay. Predominantly agricultural catchment, although contains Nuneaton and Hinkley; with urban land use accounting a signifcant proportion of the catchment area.

The station

Crump profile weir with flanking floodbanks to contain out of bank flows - includes a downstream recorder. The flow bypasses on the left bank and rejoins downstream after the railway bridge.

How it measures flow

Multiple ratings accross period of record. Variable drowning makes calculating upper limb difficult. Low modular limit (drowns at approximately 0.6 m [~8.0 m3/s]) and prone to weed growth, causing variable drowning and uncertainty with high flows. ADCP gaugings performed between weir wing walls during summer weed growth. High flow gaugings carried out using remote controlled ADCP in old cableway section. In-channel weed growth is managed during the summer months.

Flow regime

Substantial modification owing to PWS imports to the catchment.

The flow record

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
Crump weir
Operating since
1966
Station datum
60.4 mAOD
Flow record
1966–2024 · 58 yrs · 100% complete
Peak-flow record
since 1966
Hydrometric area
28
Measured by
Environment Agency

Frequently asked questions

Is the River Anker at Polesworth flooding today?

The current level is 0.16m, which is within the typical range of 0.12 to 0.70m. Flooding is unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at Polesworth?

Based on the most recent readings, the level is currently rising slightly. 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 Anker at Polesworth?

The typical range at this station is 0.12m to 0.70m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 0.70m 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 →