← Back
⏱ Last reading 3h ago
0.09

Burnbanks

Haweswater Beck
Eden and Esk catchment • Bampton • Westmorland and Furness • ID: 761103 • Level
(3h ago) • 4 readings/hr • 119 views

Set water level alerts

Get notified about Burnbanks — 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: m
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

Last Level
0.090 m
⚠ 3h ago · may be out of date
24h Max
0.090 m
24h Min
0.087 m
Typical Range
0.07 - 1.00
m
Highest Recorded
1.44 m
EA official record
1.44 in our data (since Apr 1978)
Current level is 6% of this
🚽 Sewage overflows nearby

Recent Water Levels

🌍 floodradar.co.uk
1 day

Recent Readings

Steady over 5h
09 Oct 16:30 ▬ steady 0.090 m
09 Oct 16:15 ▬ steady 0.090 m
09 Oct 16:00 ▬ steady 0.090 m
09 Oct 15:45 ▬ steady 0.090 m
09 Oct 15:30 ▬ steady 0.090 m
09 Oct 15:15 ▲ +0.2 cm 0.090 m
09 Oct 15:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.088 m
09 Oct 14:45 ▬ steady 0.089 m
09 Oct 14:30 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.089 m
09 Oct 14:15 ▬ steady 0.090 m
09 Oct 14:00 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.090 m
09 Oct 13:45 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.089 m
09 Oct 13:30 ▬ steady 0.090 m
09 Oct 13:15 ▲ +0.2 cm 0.090 m
09 Oct 13:00 ▼ -0.2 cm 0.088 m
09 Oct 12:45 ▬ steady 0.090 m
09 Oct 12:30 ▬ steady 0.090 m
09 Oct 12:15 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.090 m
09 Oct 12:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.089 m
09 Oct 11:45 0.090 m

Station Details

Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: 761103
  • RLOI id: 5025 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: 761103-level-stage-i-15_min-m
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: m
  • Typical rise rate: 1 cm/hr (p95 sustained over 90 days)
  • Typical data delay: ~22 min (measured reading→publication lag)
  • Tidal: No
  • Lock / structure: No
  • Catchment Area: Eden and Esk
  • Typical Range: 0.070 – 1.000 m
  • Drainage Area: 33 km² upstream of this gauge
  • Flow Data: Daily mean flow (m³/s) to 7 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: 0.09 m (EA at 9 Oct 16:30)
  • 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

None of the storm overflows FloodRadar holds is traced upstream of this gauge on the mapped river network. That is not the same as none: the map leaves out many small streams and culverts, so an overflow it cannot place may still drain here, and not every company publishes every overflow. Those nearby are listed below.

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 Shap Beck (River Leith) · 5.0 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
36 spills · 604 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

1 other overflow within 6 km is downstream of this gauge or on another branch of the river network, so it is 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

This gauge rarely reaches its typical high of 1.00 m: 1 day since 2017. This year so far: 0 days.

2026 0 days so far
2025 0 days
2024 0 days
2023 0 days
2022 0 days
2021 1 day
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 2006 for the 1 flood area linked to this gauge (nearest 5.7 km away).

0flood warnings 187flood alerts

Most recent flood alert: 25 Mar 2026 — Rivers Lowther and Eamont

Year by year
YearWarningsAlerts
2026 0 5
2025 0 9
2024 0 4
2023 0 7
2022 0 3
2021 0 8
2020 0 10
2019 0 9
2018 0 3
2017 0 4
2016 0 3
2015 0 13
2014 0 9
2013 0 7
2012 0 8
2011 0 4
2010 0 8
2009 0 11
2008 0 16
2007 0 23
2006 0 23

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 Bampton flood history.

Flood areas linked to this gauge

Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. This is the area linked to this gauge, nearest first.

Catchment Character

🌊 Steep & flashy Steep catchment sheds rain quickly — expect fast, sharp rises after heavy rain.

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
0.35
flashy — rain runs off fast
Avg Annual Rainfall
2,698 mm/yr
1991–2020 · +12% since 1941–70
Urban Extent
0.0%
largely rural
Median Annual Flood
16.25 m³/s
QMED — typical yearly peak flow
Highest Daily Mean Flow
49.40 m³/s
19 Nov 2009 · daily mean, not the instantaneous peak
Flow-Duration Curve
mean 0.5651.480.2880.2255% (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 4%Grassland 83%Heath/scrub 1%Other 13%

Flow affected by: surface-water abstraction, public water supply.

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 Crump weir gauging high relief, very wet catchment just downstream of Haweswater reservoir.

More detail

The catchment

High relief, very wet catchment draining Ordovician Borrowdale Volcanics with igneous intrusions. Extensively peat covered in the west with Boulder Clay and sands and gravels in the main valley. Entirely moorland, heathland and rough pasture. No catchment changes known.

The station

Compound Crump weir from April 1978, side weirs 6.7m wide, with central weir 6m wide, 0.26m lower Replaced compound thin plate, 4 stage weir, 1961-1978 (21.3m wide overall with lowest crest 3m wide; paired flanking crests 0.6m higher each 4.56 m wide, 1m higher (each 2.28m wide) and 1.25m higher (each 2.28 m wide) than the lowest. Previously velocity-area station 1951-1961.

How it measures flow

Downstream recorder added August 2005, which suggests drowning reduces flows slightly above around 1m. Flow was measured just downstream at Thornthwaite weir in the past. Peak flow rating valid from April 1978 when compound Crump weir was installed. Flood Studies Report grade A1. One peak flow rating across period of record.

Flow regime

500m downstream of Haweswater Reservoir which imports water from Lowther tributaries and Ullswater. In dry years reservoir absorbs all flood flows. Flow pattern reflects heavy abstraction and drawdown of Haweswater immediately upstream, often compensation releases only. Measures compensation and overspill only. Major exports to Shap aqueduct for public water supply.

The flow record

Peak flow data presented solely for the compound Crump weir from April 1978. Some monthly naturalised data available. Full period of record peak flow data reviewed and released in August 2024 (WINFAP Files v13).

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
1951
Station datum
189.0 mAOD
Flow record
1953–2024 · 71 yrs · 86% complete
Peak-flow record
since 1977
Hydrometric area
76
Measured by
Environment Agency

Frequently asked questions

Is the Haweswater Beck at Burnbanks flooding today?

The current level is 0.09m, which is within the typical range of 0.07 to 1.00m. Flooding is unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at Burnbanks?

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.

What is a normal level for the Haweswater Beck at Burnbanks?

The typical range at this station is 0.07m to 1.00m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 1.00m 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.

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 →