Flooding

• In the Environment Agency South West Region, around 218,000 properties are at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea.
• Future sea level rise in the South West as between 20 and 80 cm by the 2080s

Flooding happens naturally and can’t be completely avoided.  River flood plains and low-lying coastal areas are at higher risk than other areas. Around five million people, in two million properties, live in flood risk areas in England and Wales. Changes in climate, such as more severe storms and wetter winters, will increase that risk.

Roads, railways, housing and commercial developments are often built in floodplains because it is relatively easy and cheap to build there. Some 11% of new homes are built in flood risk areas in England. Development on a flood plain reduces the space available to floodwaters.

In some cases development in the flood plain acts like a dam, increasing flooding upstream. Drainage systems and hard surfaces, such as roads and car parks, can also increase flooding by quickly transferring rainwater into rivers.

Any new developments on floodplains increase flood risk. The Environment Agency advise local authorities on flood risk when they are considering planning issues. They also encourage using sustainable drainage systems in new developments to limit the chance of flooding.

Find out whether your property is at risk of flooding, what you can do to prepare or the latest flood warnings on the Environment Agency's flood pages.

In the Environment Agency South West Region, around 218,000 properties are at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea.  Of these, 65,000 are in Devon and Cornwall and 153,000 are in Wessex (including Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire).

Nearly 79,000 properties are also at significant risk of flooding in the South West, where they have a 1 in 75 chance in a given year.  37%(29,577) are in Devon and Cornwall, 63% (49,352) are in Wessex.

In a recent report published by the Environment Agency, North Somerset and Sedgemoor feature in the top ten areas with the highest number of properties at significant risk of flooding.

The UK Climate Impacts Programme UKCIP02 climate change scenarios estimate future sea level rise in the South West as between 20 and 80 cm by the 2080s, as compared to average levels between 1961 and 1990.

One of the most striking effects of sea level rise is the consequent increase in the frequency of coastal flooding. This increased frequency varies around the coastline due to the complexity of the coastline, tidal range and exposure. 

• Environment Agency flood maps
• South West Climate Change Impacts Partnership