Postcode district

Flood risk in BH23

How exposed the BH23 postcode district (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset) is to flooding from rivers, the sea and surface water, from a sample of points checked against the Environment Agency maps.

20%in Flood Zone 2 or 3

20%in Flood Zone 3

20%medium or high river and sea risk

60%some surface water risk

Based on 5 points spread across the district. An indication of the area, not a count of properties.

What the maps show around BH23

Some of the ground in this district is in a flood zone or at risk of surface water flooding, and the difference between streets can be large. We checked 5 points spread across the district: the centre and four points about 900 m away.

20% of the sample points are in Flood Zone 2 or 3 · 60% have some surface water risk Overall: mixed risk. This describes the district as a whole, not your street.

Rivers and the sea

High0 of 5

Medium1 of 5

Low0 of 5

Very low4 of 5

Surface water

High1 of 5

Medium1 of 5

Low1 of 5

Very low2 of 5

Show as a table

Flood risk bands across the sample points
Risk band	Rivers and sea	Surface water	Annual chance of flooding
High	0 of 5	1 of 5	more than 3.3%
Medium	1 of 5	1 of 5	1% to 3.3%
Low	0 of 5	1 of 5	0.1% to 1%
Very low	4 of 5	2 of 5	less than 0.1%

Flood zone: 1 of 5 points in Zone 3 and 0 in Zone 2.

Flood warning areas near BH23

The Environment Agency issues flood alerts and warnings for these named areas within about six kilometres of the district centre.

Lower Avon at Christchurch

Bridge Street, Stoney Lane and Monkswell Gardens in Purewell

River Avon Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Dorset coast at Christchurch

Areas situated behind the defences at Christchurch

Christchurch Harbour Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Christchurch Harbour

Christchurch Harbour and tidal stretches of the Lower Stour and Avon

English Channel Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Lower Stour from Longham to Christchurch

Parley, Corfe Mullen, Hampreston, Ferndown, Throop, Hurn, Bournemouth and Christchurch

River Stour Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Dorset Council

Lower Stour at Holdenhurst Village

Holdenhurst Farm and Wood Farm in Holdenhurst

River Stour Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Lower Avon from Ringwood to Christchurch

Bickerley, Ringwood and the B3347 from Christchurch to Stony Lane in Christchurch

River Avon Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Dorset Council, Hampshire

You can sign up for free flood warnings for your own address on GOV.UK.

Check your own BH23 postcode

The figures above describe the district. Your home is one point in it, and that point is what the check reads.

This district spans Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset and New Forest.

£14.95 · one off

Will your address flood, and can you get it insured and mortgaged?

Enter an English postcode and see free of charge its flood zone and the risk bands for rivers, the sea and surface water. What the numbers mean, which past floods were recorded around the property, which warning areas cover it and what to ask your insurer, surveyor and solicitor is in the report for that one point.

A flood is the most expensive thing that can happen to a home, and a flood zone or a surface water flow path can change the insurance terms, the mortgage offer and the resale price. The report gathers the Environment Agency data for your address before you commit; it is not a substitute for a flood search from your conveyancer.

The flood zone and all three risk maps at your point: rivers and sea, surface water, with the annual chance in plain figures and a map of the ground around it
Every recorded past flood and the flood warning areas that cover the address, with dates, sources and causes where the Environment Agency has them
What it means for insurance, a mortgage and the building itself: Flood Re, questions for the surveyor and practical flood resilience measures, as a PDF you can share

See a sample report (PDF)

🔒 Card or PayPal via Mollie · download straight after payment, emailed as well · no subscription
Source: Environment Agency under the Open Government Licence · not a substitute for a flood search

Nearby postcode districts

BH6 4.0 km BH7 5.2 km BH5 6.0 km BH25 6.8 km BH8 6.9 km BH1 7.9 km BH9 8.3 km BH3 9.2 km

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is BH23 in a flood zone?

Part of it. Of 5 sample points spread across the BH23 postcode district, 1 (20%) fall in Flood Zone 2 or 3, 1 of them in Flood Zone 3. Flood zones follow rivers and coastlines, so whether your own home is in one depends on the exact spot. Check your full postcode to find out.

Is surface water flooding a risk in BH23?

3 of the 5 sample points (60%) sit in an area the Environment Agency rates at least low risk for surface water flooding, and 2 of those at medium or high risk. Surface water risk is highly local: it follows dips, underpasses and the line of old streams, so look at your own postcode.

Which flood warning areas cover BH23?

The Environment Agency issues flood alerts and warnings for named areas. Within about six kilometres of the centre of BH23 these include Lower Avon at Christchurch, Dorset coast at Christchurch and Christchurch Harbour. You can sign up for free flood warnings for your address on GOV.UK.

How accurate is a postcode district summary?

It is an indication, not a verdict on any single home. We checked 5 points around the centre of the district against the Environment Agency maps. A district can hold many streets and a flood zone can be a few metres wide. The free check on a full postcode, with a pin you can move onto your plot, is the precise answer.