Protect yourself from flooding

Want to receive advanced warning of flooding?

    What is the Flood Warning Service and where does it cover?

    The Environment Agency provides a free Flood Warning Service for areas at risk of flooding from Main Rivers, see map below.    

    We aim to provide at least 30 minutes of advanced warning for the flashiest catchments, those where water levels rise rapidly in response to rainfall/snowmelt, but for most other watercourses we typically try to give 2 hours of warning before property flooding begins. This provides you some time to undertake necessary actions.

    Note - this warning service does not currently provide warnings/alerts for other sources of flooding, such as surface water.

    A map centred on Leicester City. Statutory Main River is highlighted with thick blue lines. Areas covered by Flood Alert areas are shown in orange, while areas that also have a Flood Warning are overlayed with diagonal red hashed lines.A map displaying the areas in Leicester City for which Flood Warnings and/or Flood Alerts are issued. These cover the vast majority, but not all, of the areas at risk of flooding from Statutory Main Rivers (also shown).

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    What the different Warnings mean + How to sign up

    Understanding the different types of Flood Alerts and Warnings issued by the service. 

    A table split into three columns, each with a different coloured border to represent severity. The left column is about Flood Alerts and has an orange border. The middle column is about Flood Warnings and has a red border. The right column is about Severe Flood Warnings and has a black border (most severe).

    An image displaying the Flood Alert, Flood Warning and Severe Flood Warning Icons, with a brief description of what they signify, when they are issued, and what actions to take if they are issued


    • You can choose which type/s of warning you would like to receive when you sign-up.
    • You don't have to live in a flood alert or warning area to sign-up and you can choose which areas you'd like to receive them for.
    • For more information (and an accessible version of the above image) visit Flood alerts and warnings: what they are and what to do - GOV.UK.


    Register for the free Flood Warning Service by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188 (call charges may apply), or visiting Get flood warnings by text, phone or email - GOV.UK.


    For more information on the specifics of the service, signing-up, and to learn about recent improvements/changes introduced with the newer 'Get Flood Warnings' service on October 21st 2025, visit - Changes to the 'Sign up for flood warnings' service, and open the FAQ documents on the right hand side (specifically those for 'members of the public' but also those for 'targeted flood warning service users').

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