England's Unseen Flood Risk: Millions Unaware Ahead of a Wet Autumn
More than two million people in England do not know their property is at flood risk, the Environment Agency said on 30 September 2026. The Guardian
Six million properties in England are at risk of flooding. About one in three people at risk do not think they are at risk, the agency said. The gap is perception.
The agency urged people in England to check their property's flood risk on gov.uk. People at risk should sign up for flood warnings, alerts sent before flooding, and make a flood plan setting out steps to take if water rises. Caroline Douglass is director for flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency.
The advice was issued with the Met Office's three-month outlook. The outlook gave an increased likelihood that October, November and December will be wet, windy and milder than usual. The Met Office said there are early indications of drier, colder and calmer conditions later in winter. Will Lang is chief meteorologist with the Met Office. The Guardian
The Met Office said drought will remain in large parts of the UK until reservoirs return to normal levels. Recovery will need above-average rainfall over winter. The near-term forecast was calmer. At 10:30am on 30 September 2026, the GOV.UK Check for flooding in England service said flood risk across England for that day and the next four days was very low. Check for flooding service
The Environment Agency is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. It describes its role as working to create better places for people and wildlife and supporting sustainable development. GOV.UK It lists 'Check the long term flood risk for an area in England' as one of its services. It published a press release titled 'New flood scheme opens to protect Tonbridge and Hildenborough' on 30 September 2026. It published a press release on 9 June 2026 about a £50 million investment awarded to Somerset Council to bolster flood resilience for farms and homes.
The broader context here is expanding exposure alongside other extremes. The number of properties in England at risk of flooding is projected to rise to 8 million by 2050, described as by the middle of the century. Environment Agency blog Inaction on climate risks including flooding could cost up to 260 billion pounds per year. Reuters On 7 August 2026 Reuters reported that Britain's national mapping agency said record-breaking heat is reshaping Britain's climate risk map.
Looking at what this means for the winter ahead, the problem has two parts. Autumn rain that refills reservoirs can also raise flood likelihood, while underestimation of risk lowers uptake of warnings and plans. For practitioners, the Agency's call to check, sign up and plan points to resilience at home as well as through defences. The Tonbridge and Hildenborough scheme and the Somerset Council investment address the building side. Awareness figures show why both tracks will need to run together if a wet October to December materialises and is followed by a drier second half of winter.
