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Water Level Easing
Easing — down from 0.02 at 16:45, now -0.02
-0.02

Freshfield Bridge

Ouse
Ouse catchment • Scayne's Hill • West Sussex • ID: E8210 • Level
(1h ago) • 4 readings/hr • 186 views

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⤴ Unusual rise — FloodRadar+Top 1% rise rate for this gauge.
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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
-0.024 mASD
▼ Easing
24h Max
0.022 mASD
24h Min
-0.051 mASD
Typical Range
0.01 - 2.00
mASD
Highest Recorded
2.63 mASD
EA official record
2.86 in our data (since Nov 2012)
🚽 Sewage overflows nearby

Recent Water Levels

🌍 floodradar.co.uk
1 day

Recent Readings

Falling · -3 cm over 6h
08 Oct 01:30 ▲ +0.4 cm -0.024 mASD
08 Oct 01:15 ▬ steady -0.028 mASD
08 Oct 01:00 ▼ -0.6 cm -0.028 mASD
08 Oct 00:45 ▼ -0.2 cm -0.022 mASD
08 Oct 00:30 ▼ -0.2 cm -0.020 mASD
08 Oct 00:00 ▼ -0.2 cm -0.018 mASD
07 Oct 23:45 ▼ -0.4 cm -0.016 mASD
07 Oct 23:30 ▼ -0.2 cm -0.012 mASD
07 Oct 22:30 ▲ +0.6 cm -0.010 mASD
07 Oct 22:15 ▲ +0.2 cm -0.016 mASD
07 Oct 22:00 ▼ -0.7 cm -0.018 mASD
07 Oct 21:45 ▼ -0.4 cm -0.011 mASD
07 Oct 21:30 ▼ -0.1 cm -0.007 mASD
07 Oct 21:15 ▼ -0.2 cm -0.006 mASD
07 Oct 21:00 ▼ -0.6 cm -0.004 mASD
07 Oct 20:30 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.002 mASD
07 Oct 20:15 ▼ -0.3 cm 0.005 mASD
07 Oct 20:00 ▬ steady 0.008 mASD
07 Oct 19:45 ▬ steady 0.009 mASD
07 Oct 19:30 0.009 mASD

Station Details

  • Monitoring Station: Freshfield Bridge
  • Watercourse: River Ouse
  • Nearest Town: Scayne's Hill
  • County: West Sussex
  • Nearest reservoir: Ardingly (7.3 km) · 22.8% full (as of 27 Sep 2026)
  • Coordinates: 51°0'10"N 0°1'40"W (51.002867, -0.027718)
  • Open in: Google Maps · Apple Maps (opens your maps app)
  • Date Opened: 1 Jun 2000
  • Status: Active
  • Station Type: River level station
Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: E8210
  • RLOI id: 1106 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: E8210-level-stage-i-15_min-mASD
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: mASD
  • Typical rise rate: 2 cm/hr (p95 sustained over 90 days)
  • Typical data delay: ~22 min (measured reading→publication lag)
  • Tidal: No
  • Lock / structure: No
  • Catchment Area: Ouse
  • Datum: 20.366m AOD
  • Typical Range: 0.010 – 2.000 mASD
  • EA Cross-check: -0.02 mASD (EA at 8 Oct 01:45)

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.

14 storm overflows are traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 940 m away along the river. 0 report discharging now, 14 report not discharging.

💧
Southern Water · into River Ouse · 940 m upstream along the river
0 spills · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Southern Water · into River Ouse · 940 m upstream along the river
32 spills · 291 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Southern Water · into Freshwater River · 4.8 km upstream along the river
2 spills · 12 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
Placed on the river by its position alone.
💧
Southern Water · into Scrase Stream · 5.0 km upstream along the river
50 spills · 430 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Southern Water · into Scrase Stream · 5.4 km upstream along the river
32 spills · 110 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Southern Water · into Tributary Of The Scrase Stream · 5.8 km upstream along the river
5 spills · 11 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Southern Water · into Freshwater River · 6.0 km upstream along the river
50 spills · 287 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
Placed on the river by its position alone.
💧
Southern Water · into Scrase Bridge Stream · 7.3 km upstream along the river
2 spills · 1 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

6 more further upstream, up to 14.9 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.

💧
Southern Water · into Freshwater River · 3.4 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
35 spills · 255 hours in 2025
No live feed for this overflow
💧
Southern Water · into Trib Of The River Ouze · 4.1 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
2 spills · 3 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Southern Water · into Trib. Of Scrase Bridge Stream · 4.5 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
7 spills · 6 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Southern Water · into Lywood Stream · 5.4 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
17 spills · 122 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Southern Water · into Lywood Stream Trib. River Ouse · 5.4 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
3 spills · 6 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Southern Water · into The Longford Ditch · 5.5 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
28 spills · 279 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Southern Water · into Tributary Of Scrase Stream · 5.8 km away in a straight line · no mapped watercourse close enough to be sure
10 spills · 51 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Southern Water · into Freshwater River · 6.0 km away in a straight line · not connected to this gauge on the river map
1 spill · 0 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

1 more within 6 km whose connection is not known.

4 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 2.00 m on about 3 days. This year so far: 3 days.

2026 3 days so far
2025 4 days
2024 3 days
2023 4 days
2022 5 days
2021 0 days
2020 6 days
2019 5 days
2018 0 days patchy data
2017 0 days

Counted from each day's highest reading. Days with missing or implausible readings are left out, so a year marked patchy may have run high more often than shown.

Flood history near this gauge

Official Environment Agency warnings issued since 2012 for the 9 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 0.2 km away).

45flood warnings 143flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 27 Jan 2026 — Lindfield Bridge on the River Ouse

Year by year
YearWarningsAlerts
2026 2 8
2025 1 10
2024 5 20
2023 1 15
2022 4 13
2021 1 6
2020 6 15
2019 9 11
2018 0 2
2017 0 2
2016 2 11
2015 4 4
2014 5 13
2013 3 6
2012 2 7

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 Scayne's Hill 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 Ouse at Freshfield Bridge 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 Freshfield Bridge?

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. 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 Ouse at Freshfield Bridge?

The typical range at this station is 0.01m to 2.00m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 2.00m 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 →