Is Essex at risk of flooding?

Essex has 136 designated flood areas monitored by the Environment Agency, giving it a Very High risk rating. It ranks #10 out of 152 English counties for flood risk.

How many flood warning areas are in Essex?

There are 136 flood warning and alert areas in Essex, monitored by 0 Environment Agency stations across 51 rivers.

Which rivers flood in Essex?

The main rivers in Essex include Beam, Rom, Beverley Brook, Beverley Brook, Pyl Brook, East Pyl Brook, Blackwater, Blackwater Estuary and 46 others. These rivers have monitoring stations tracking water levels in real time.

Do I need flood insurance in Essex?

If your property is in or near one of Essex's 136 flood areas, flood insurance is strongly recommended. The government's Flood Re scheme helps make flood insurance affordable for at-risk properties.

How can I check flood risk for my postcode?

Use the Environment Agency's flood risk checker or our postcode lookup tool to check the flood risk for your specific address. You can also browse Essex's flood areas on this page.

What was the worst flood in Essex?

Essex has experienced significant flooding events over the years. Check the Environment Agency's historical flood data and our UK Flood History guide for details on major events.

Flood Risk in Essex

East of England

136

Flood Areas

Stations

Rivers

Risk Level

Very High

#10 of 152 counties

Flood Areas in Essex

136 designated flood warning and alert areas

Name	River / Sea	Type
The marshland around East Mersea, including the land bordering Pyefleet Channel, Brightlingsea Reach and the Mersea Flats	North Sea	Warning
The Essex coast from Clacton to St Peters Flat, including Jaywick, Brightlingsea, Mersea Island, Heybridge, Maldon and the Colne and Blackwater est...	North Sea	Alert
The River Wid from Ingatestone to Writtle, including Margaretting	Wid	Warning
The River Wid from Brentwood, to and including Writtle, and the River Can at Chelmsford	River Wid, River Can	Alert
The Lower Lee tributaries, including the Nazeing Brook, Ching Brook, Cobbins Brook, Pymmes Brook, Rags Brook, Salmons Brook, Turkey Brook, Trinity ...	Ching Brook, Cobbins Brook, Nazeing Brook, Pymmes Brook, Salmons Brook, Turkey Brook, Small River Lee, Rags Brook, Trinity Marsh Ditch	Alert
The River Colne from Castle Hedingham to upstream of Halstead, including Sible Hedingham	Colne	Warning
The River Colne from Great Yeldham to Colchester, including Castle Hedingham, Sible Hedingham, Halstead, Earls Colne, Wakes Colne, Chappel and Ford...	Colne	Alert
River Thames at Thames Ditton Island including Boyle Farm Island	River Thames	Warning
River Thames at Thames Ditton Island including Boyle Farm Island	River Thames	Alert
River Thames from Shepperton to West and East Molesey including Hamm Court, Walton-on-Thames and Sunbury	River Thames	Alert
The River Roding from Ongar to Stapleford including Hallsford Bridge, and Shonk's Mill	River Roding	Warning
The Upper River Roding including Molehill Green, Dunmow, Ongar, Fyfield, High Ongar and Stapleford	River Roding	Alert
The River Ingrebourne at Harold Park including Harold Wood	Ingrebourne	Warning
The River Ingrebourne at Harold Park and Hornchurch including Harold Wood, Upminster and Rainham	Ingrebourne	Alert
The Lower River Roding including Redbridge, Woodford, Wanstead, Ilford, East Ham and Barking	River Roding	Alert
River Lee at Hertford and Ware including Stanstead Abbotts	River Lee	Warning
River Lee at Hertford including Lemsford, Hatfield, Ware and Stanstead Abbotts	River Lee	Alert
The River Roach, Prittle Brook and Eastwood Brook at Southend	Roach, Prittle Brook, Eastwood Brook	Alert
Paglesham, Great Stambridge, Rochford, Little and Great Wakering, Potton Island and Rushley Island	River Crouch	Warning
The Essex coast from St Peters Flat to Shoeburyness, including Burnham-on-Crouch, South Woodham Ferrers, Hullbridge and the Crouch and Roach estuaries	River Crouch, River Roach, North Sea	Alert
The River Brain, including Podds Brook, through Braintree, Black Notley, White Notley and Witham	Brain	Warning
The Rivers Pant and Blackwater from, Great Bardfield to Langford including Braintree, and the River Brain from, Black Notley to Witham	Pant, Blackwater, Brain	Alert
The Essex coast from St Peters Flat to Burnham-on-Crouch, including Dengie Marshes	River Crouch, North Sea	Warning
The tidal River Colne at Point Clear from the Tower Estate to Oakmead Road and Osyth Creek	Colne Estuary	Warning
The Rivers Beam and Rom at Romford, Hornchurch, Dagenham and Rainham	Beam, Rom	Alert
The River Crane at Hillingdon, Southall, Cranford, Feltham and Twickenham	River Crane	Alert
The River Colne through Colchester, from the Avenue of Remembrance to Brook Street	Colne	Warning
River Cam from Newport to Whittlesford including the Slades	River Cam	Alert
The Lower River Lee from Hoddesdon to Canning Town including, Cheshunt, Enfield, Edmonton, Tottenham, Walthamstow, Hackney, Stratford and West Ham	River Lee	Alert
Beverley Brook at Barnes, London Boroughs of Richmond upon Thames and Wandsworth	Beverley Brook	Warning
Beverley Brook area, including the Pyl Brook, in the London Boroughs of Merton, Sutton, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames and Wandsworth	Beverley Brook, Pyl Brook, East Pyl Brook	Alert
The Stansted Brook at Stansted Mountfitchet	Stansted Brook	Warning
The River Stort, Stansted Brook and their tributaries from Clavering to Hoddesdon including Stansted Mountfitchet, Bishops Stortford, Sawbridgewort...	River Stort, Stansted Brook	Alert
The Lower River Lee at Enfield including Edmonton and Tottenham	River Lee	Warning
River Thames from the River Brent to the River Crane including East Isleworth and Syon Park	River Thames	Warning
River Thames including areas in the boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Ealing and Hounslow	River Thames	Alert
River Thames including areas in the boroughs of Wandsworth and Richmond-upon-Thames	River Thames	Alert
River Thames from Raven's Ait to Teddington Weir including, Raven's Ait, the Hogsmill River below the university Knights Park Campus, both Kingston...	River Thames	Warning
River Thames from Hampton and Thames Ditton to Teddington including Hampton Wick and Kingston-upon-Thames	River Thames	Alert
Holland Marshes, from Frinton Tennis Club and Golf Course to Valley Road in Holland-on-Sea	Essex Coast	Warning
River Hogsmill area from Ewell to Kingston upon Thames, including the Surbiton Stream in Surbiton and the Green Lane Stream between Ewell and Epsom	Hogsmill	Alert
River Thames at Thames Ditton including Ditton Field and Ditton Reach	River Thames	Warning
The River Stort at Harlow including Roydon	River Stort	Warning
The tidal River Colne upstream of the Colne Barrier at Wivenhoe, including the Roman River at Fingringhoe and Colchester	River Colne	Warning
River Thames at Teddington including Broom Road and Lower Teddington Road	River Thames	Warning
River Thames flood area near Essex	River Thames	Warning
The Cripsey Brook at Chipping Ongar including Shelley	Cripsey Brook	Warning
The Cripsey Brook including Thornwood Common, North Weald Bassett, Moreton and Chipping Ongar	Cripsey Brook	Alert
River Thames at East and West Molesey including Hurst Park, Buckingham Avenue and the Royal Mews area	River Thames	Warning
The Nazeing Brook at Lower Nazeing	Nazeing Brook	Warning
The River Stort at Clavering and Manuden	River Stort	Warning
Canvey Island north of the A130, Long Road	Thames Estuary	Warning
The Essex coast at Canvey Island to South Benfleet, and Wat Tyler Country Park and surrounding marshland	Thames Estuary	Alert
Riverside properties in Chelmsford, from Rivermead Industrial Estate through Central and Admirals Park including the cricket ground, to Lordship Lane	Chelmer, Can	Warning
Hullbridge waterside properties and the Dome Caravan Park	River Crouch	Warning
The Eastwood Brook from downstream of Rayleigh Weir and the Prittlewell Brook, to Southend Airport	Roach, Prittle Brook, Eastwood Brook	Warning
River Thames from Putney Bridge to Mortlake High Street East including Barnes	River Thames	Warning
The River Pant, from Great Bardfield to Braintree, including Shalford	Pant	Warning
Shellhaven to Tilbury, including Mucking and Linford	Thames Estuary	Warning
The Essex coast from Fobbing to Purfleet-on-Thames, including Tilbury, Grays and the Dartford Crossing	Thames Estuary	Alert
Beverley Brook at Worcester Park, including Motspur Park, London Boroughs of Kingston upon Thames and Sutton	Beverley Brook	Warning
River Thames at Kingston-upon-Thames town including, central Kingston, the area around Canbury Gardens and Albany Park Road	River Thames	Warning
River Thames at Trowlock Island including the Royal Canoe Club	River Thames	Alert
The Cobbins Brook at Waltham Abbey	Cobbins Brook	Warning
The River Chelmer from Great Dunmow to Rivermead campus and the Industrial Estate in Chelmsford	Chelmer	Alert
Beverley Brook at West Barnes, London Boroughs of Kingston upon Thames and Merton	Beverley Brook	Warning
The marshland area around Hamford Water, from West End Lane in Dovercourt to the north of Kirby-le-Soken	Hamford Water	Warning
Salcott cum Virley, and surrounding marshland	Blackwater Estuary	Warning
The River Colne from Halstead to Lexden, including Wakes Colne	Colne	Warning
Beverley Brook at Raynes Park Including Beverley Way and Malden Golf Course, London Boroughs of Kingston upon Thames and Merton	Beverley Brook	Warning
The Mardyke to the River Thames at Purfleet-on-Thames	Mardyke	Alert
River Thames from the Hogarth Lane Roundabout to the River Brent including South Chiswick, Grove Park, Strand-on-the-Green and Brentford	River Thames	Warning
The tidal River Stour at Mistley, including the Quay and The Walls	River Stour	Warning
Burnham-on-Crouch, from Wick Road to Dengie Hundred Sports Centre, including the High Street	River Crouch	Warning
The tidal River Colne from Brightlingsea to the Colne Barrier at Wivenhoe	River Colne	Warning
The north bank of the Blackwater estuary from Goldhanger to Maldon, including Heybridge Basin	Essex Coast	Warning
River Thames flood area near Essex	River Thames	Warning
The Cripsey Brook at Moreton from Weald Bridge to Shelley Common	Cripsey Brook	Warning
The River Stort at Sawbridgeworth	River Stort	Warning
The Pincey Brook near Sheering	Pincey Brook	Warning
The Pincey Brook and its tributaries from Takeley to Harlow including Hatfield Broad Oak, Hatfield Heath and Sheering	Pincey Brook	Alert
The River Chelmer from the A138 at Chelmsford to Langford, the River Ter from A120 at Stebbing Green to Boreham, and the brooks around Sandon	Chelmer	Alert
River Thames at Walton-on-Thames including Desborough Island, Walton Bridge and Elmbridge Leisure Centre	River Thames	Warning
River Granta from Linton to Babraham	River Granta	Alert
River Blackwater flood area near Essex	River Blackwater	Warning
The Essex coast at West Mersea, including The Strood and surrounding marshland from the Colne Barrier to Abbotts Hall Farm	River Colne, North Sea	Warning
Chelmer flood area near Essex	Chelmer	Warning
River Hogsmill at Ewell Court, Ruxley and Old Malden, London Borough of Kingston upon Thames and Epsom and Ewell	Hogsmill	Warning
The River Crouch from Noaks Bridge to Runwell, including Wickford	River Crouch	Alert
The Parkeston Quay and the Ramsey River, including Harwich International Port	River Stour, Ramsey River	Warning
The Rivers Can and Chelmer through Chelmsford, including the High Street and Meadows Shopping Centre	Chelmer, River Can	Warning
Wallsea and Foulness Islands, including New England and Havengore Island	River Crouch, North Sea	Warning
The River Blackwater from Braintree to Langford, including Coggeshall and Kelvedon	Blackwater	Warning
The River Roding in Redbridge including Woodford, Wanstead and Ilford	River Roding	Warning
The Essex coast from Clacton Lifeboat station to Lee-over-sands, including Jaywick and Seawick	Essex Coast	Warning
The River Crane at Cranford and Feltham including North Feltham	River Crane	Warning
River Thames at Hampton and Hampton Wick including Hampton Court, properties on the Barge Walk, Hampton Court Palace Golf Club and Hampton Court Road	River Thames	Warning
Riverside properties in Colchester, from Westway to East Street, including Lower Castle Park and the cricket ground	Colne	Warning
River Thames riverside from Putney Bridge to Teddington Weir	River Thames	Alert
Beverley Brook at Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park including Kingston Vale and Robin Hood Gate and Roehampton, London Boroughs of Kingston upon T...	Beverley Brook	Warning
The Canons Brook and its tributaries from Harlow to Parndon Mead including, Great Parndon, Hare Street and Little Parndon	Canons Brook	Alert
Walton on the Naze, from Walton Hall marshes to the Martello Caravan Park	Essex Coast	Warning
Leigh-on-Sea frontage including the High Street, Chalkwell to Hadleigh marshes and Two Tree Island	Thames Estuary	Warning
The Essex coast from Leigh-on-Sea, to and including, Hadleigh Marshes, and Two Tree Island	Thames Estuary	Alert
The area of Tollesbury from Salcott Channel, including Old Hall Creek and adjacent marshland towards Goldhangar	Blackwater Estuary	Warning
The River Chelmer from the A138 at Chelmsford to Maldon, including Sandford Mill Bridge, Chelmer Village, Paper Mill Bridge and Ulting	Chelmer	Warning
The Tidal River Crane at Twickenham	River Crane	Alert
River Hogsmill at Kingston, London Borough of Kingston upon Thames	Hogsmill	Warning
River Thames at Trowlock Island including the Royal Canoe Club	River Thames	Warning
The River Stort at Bishops Stortford including Spellbrook	River Stort	Warning
The River Crane at Twickenham including Cole Park	River Crane	Warning
The Middle River Roding including Abridge, Loughton, Brookhouse Brook and Buckhurst Hill	River Roding	Alert
The tidal River Stour at Manningtree, from the railway station to Kiln Lane at The Walls	River Stour	Warning
The River Roding at Abridge	River Roding	Warning
The tidal River Crouch from Creeksea to Battlesbridge, including north and South Fambridge, Hullbridge and South Woodham Ferrers	River Crouch	Warning
The River Crouch from Noak Bridge through Wickford to Runwell	Crouch	Warning
The south bank of the Blackwater estuary from Maldon to Maylandsea, including Northey Island	Essex Coast	Warning
The River Roding at Fyfield including High Ongar Bridge	River Roding	Warning
The Tidal River Crane at Isleworth	River Crane	Warning
River Thames flood area near Essex	River Thames	Warning
The River Roding at Loughton including Buckhurst Hill	River Roding	Warning
The Lower River Lee at Hoddesdon and Cheshunt including Broxbourne and Waltham Abbey	River Lee	Warning
Canvey Island south of the A130, Long Road	Thames Estuary	Warning
The south bank of the Blackwater estuary from Maylandsea to St Peters Flat, including Osea Island	Blackwater Estuary	Warning
River Thames from Richmond Bridge to Teddington Weir including West Petersham and Ham Lands	River Thames	Warning
River Thames from the River Crane to Teddington Weir including St. Margaret's, Eel Pie Island, Strawberry Hill and East Teddington	River Thames	Warning
River Stour, North Sea flood area near Essex	River Stour, North Sea	Warning
River Cam flood area near Essex	River Cam	Warning
River Cam flood area near Essex	River Cam	Warning
Bumpstead Brook from Helions Bumpstead through Steeple Bumpstead and Broad Green to New England	Bumpstead Brook	Warning
River Cam flood area near Essex	River Cam	Warning
River Thames flood area near Essex	River Thames	Warning
Surbiton Stream at Berrylands, Alexandra, Surbiton Hill, Tolworth and Hook Rise, London Borough of Kingston upon Thames	Surbiton	Warning
The upper River Colne and surrounding tributaries, including Great Yeldham		Alert
The upper River Colne and surrounding tributaries, through Great Yeldham to Castle Hedingham		Warning
Thaxted Road in Saffron Walden	Victoria Slade	Warning

Monitoring Stations

0 Environment Agency monitoring stations

Rivers in Essex

Beam, RomBeverley BrookBeverley Brook, Pyl Brook, East Pyl BrookBlackwaterBlackwater EstuaryBrainBumpstead BrookCanons BrookChelmerChelmer, CanChelmer, River CanChing Brook, Cobbins Brook, Nazeing Brook, Pymmes Brook, Salmons Brook, Turkey Brook, Small River Lee, Rags Brook, Trinity Marsh DitchCobbins BrookColneColne EstuaryCripsey BrookCrouchEssex CoastHamford WaterHogsmillIngrebourneMardykeNazeing BrookNorth SeaPantPant, Blackwater, BrainPincey BrookRiver BlackwaterRiver CamRiver ColneRiver Colne, North SeaRiver CraneRiver CrouchRiver Crouch, North SeaRiver Crouch, River Roach, North SeaRiver GrantaRiver LeeRiver RodingRiver StortRiver Stort, Stansted BrookRiver StourRiver Stour, North SeaRiver Stour, Ramsey RiverRiver ThamesRiver Wid, River CanRoach, Prittle Brook, Eastwood BrookStansted BrookSurbitonThames EstuaryVictoria SladeWid

Flood Insurance Warning for Essex

Essex has 136 designated flood areas and a very high flood risk rating. If you live in this area, check your buildings and contents insurance covers flood damage. Homes in high-risk areas may face higher premiums or require specialist cover.

Flood Insurance Guide →Planning & Flood Risk →

Nearby Counties

Berkshire