Flood Alert Info - Upper River Irwell catchment with Oldham, Bolton, Rochdale, Haslingden, Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall
Area Description
Upper Irwell catchment includes the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limey Water and their tributaries. Other locations which may be affected are around Farnworth, Whitefield, Little Lever, Radcliffe, Bury, Heywood, Whitworth and Bacup.
This is a Flood Alert Area. For this area the highest level of flood notification that you will receive is a Flood Alert. No Flood Warnings or Severe Flood Warnings are issued for this area.
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There are no Flood Alerts currently in force for this area. See below for historical flood warnings.
Area Covered by this Flood Alert
The orange highlighted area on the map below outlines the area covered by this Flood Alert.
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Flood Alert History
Number of historic Flood Alerts that have previously been recorded for this area:
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Historical Flood Alerts for this Area
Flood Alert issued on 5 Dec 2024 16:43
River Irwell
River levels are rising due to recent heavy rainfall, river levels are expected to peak during the early hours of tomorrow morning, 06/12/2024
Flooding is forecast to affect locations near the River Irwell, with low lying land and roads expected to be most affected, particularly around low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
Take care and avoid walking, cycling or driving through flood water.
Avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses.
We are closely monitoring the situation and monitoring rainfall and river levels.
This message will be updated by 11:00 AM on 06/12/2024, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 24 Nov 2024 12:55
River Irwell
River levels are still high however are expected to slowly start decreasing throughout today, Sunday 24th November.
Flooding of roads and low lying land is possible, property flooding is not expected.
Areas most at risk include low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
We are closely monitoring the situation and monitoring rainfall and river levels.
Take care and avoid walking, cycling or driving through flood water.
This message will be updated by 12:00 noon on 25/11/2024, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 23 Nov 2024 12:21
River Irwell
Rising river levels from now until at least daybreak Sunday morning 24 November 2024 may lead to flooding of low lying land.
Flooding is forecast to affect locations near the River Irwell, with low lying land and roads expected to be most affected, particularly around low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
Avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses.
This message will be updated by 12:00 noon on 24/11/2024, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 30 Sep 2024 16:31
River Irwell
Rising river levels this afternoon and in to this evening, Monday 30th September, may lead to flooding.
Flooding is forecast to affect locations near the River Irwell, with low lying land and roads expected to be most affected, particularly around low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
We are closely monitoring the situation and monitoring rainfall and river levels.
Take care and avoid walking, cycling or driving through flood water.
This message will be updated by 3:30 PM on 01/10/2024, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 4 Apr 2024 17:52
River Irwell
River levels are forecast to rise in the early hours of Friday morning (05/04/2024) on the River Irwell due to heavy rainfall overnight.
Flooding is forecast to affect locations near the River Irwell, with low lying land expected to be most affected, particularly the low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
We will continue to monitor the forecast and river levels closely. We will re-issue this alert if necessary.
We urge all people to take care. Avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses and do not attempt to walk or drive through flood water.
This message will be updated by 10:00 AM on 05/04/2024, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 1 Jan 2024 17:04
River Irwell
River levels are forecast to rise at the Irwell Vale river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall which is due to start shortly today 01/01/2024.
We believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will update the flood alert if necessary.
Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation.
This message will be updated by 10:00am tomorrow 02/01/2024, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 26 Dec 2023 17:02
River Irwell
River levels are forecast to rise at the Irwell Vale river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall which will start from around midnight tonight 26/12/2023 till tomorrow afternoon, 27/12/2023.
We believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will update the flood alert if necessary.
Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation.
This message will be updated by 10:00am on 27/12/2023, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 9 Dec 2023 14:31
River Irwell
Rainfall is forecast across the Irwell catchment throughout Saturday and into Sunday 10/12/2023. The heaviest of the rain will occur early this evening from around 5pm until around midnight. Flooding of low lying land and roads is possible from around 8pm on 9/12/23.
River levels are remaining high on the River Irwell due to rainfall. Areas most at risk include low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
Our duty officer are closely monitoring the situation and will update you when the forecast changes. Our operational teams are out clearing debris screens to minimise potential blockages and flow restriction.
This message will be updated on 10/12/2023, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 20 Oct 2023 11:48
River Irwell
Flooding is possible in this area.
Monitor local water levels and weather conditions. Avoid using low lying footpaths or entering areas prone to flooding. Start acting on your flood plan if you have one.
Environment Agency Flood Warning Officers set the river or tidal levels that have triggered this message. During industrial action this message has been automatically issued based on rising river or tidal levels.
Flood Alert issued on 23 Jul 2023 17:01
River Irwell
River levels are remaining high on the River Irwell. Areas most at risk include low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries. No property flooding is expected. Flooding is possible at low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries. Further rainfall is forecast throughout the night. We will continue to monitor the forecast and re-issue this alert if necessary. Avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses and do not attempt to walk or drive through flood water. This message will be updated by 11:00 am on 24/07/2023, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 23 Jul 2023 09:17
River Irwell
River levels are rising on the River Irwell. Areas most at risk include low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries. No property flooding is expected. Flooding is possible at low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries from 08:00 AM on 23/07/2023. Further rainfall is forecast throughout the morning. We will continue to monitor the forecast and re-issue this alert if necessary. Avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses and do not attempt to walk or drive through flood water. This message will be updated by 17:00 PM on 23/07/2023, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 23 Jul 2023 08:24
River Irwell
River levels are rising on the River Irwell. Areas most at risk include low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
No property flooding is expected. Flooding is possible at low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries from 08:00 AM on 23/07/2023.
Further rainfall is forecast throughout the morning. We will continue to monitor the forecast and re-issue this alert if necessary.
Avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses and do not attempt to walk or drive through flood water.
This message will be updated by 03:00 PM on 23/07/2023, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 18 Jun 2023 16:24
River Irwell
This message has been issued pre-emptively ahead of localised thunderstorms expected between 17:00 and 22:00 on 18/06/23 and with further rainfall expected Monday afternoon. Small, flashier rivers and streams may respond to heavy rainfall. Given the unpredictable nature of thunderstorms, there is low confidence in the locations and impacts of rainfall at this point. Areas most at risk are low lying agricultural land, roads and footpaths close to small rivers and streams. Water levels could rise rapidly and potentially generate deep, fast flows. We are closely monitoring the situation. Our incident response staff are monitoring watercourses in the area. Please plan driving routes to avoid low-lying roads near rivers, which may be flooded and see the GOV.UK website for a 5 day flood forecast. This message will be updated as the situation changes. Follow @envagencyNW on Twitter for information for your area.
Flood Alert issued on 20 Feb 2022 23:43
River Irwell
River levels have risen on the River Irwell due to heavy rainfall. Flooding is forecast to affect locations particularly around low lying land and roads around Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries throughout the night and into the morning on 21/02/2022. We will continue to monitor the forecast and re-issue this alert if necessary. Avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses and do not attempt to walk or drive through flood water. This message will be updated by 11:00 AM on 21/02/2022, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 19 Feb 2022 18:09
River Irwell
River levels are forecast to rise on the River Irwell due to heavy rainfall. Flooding is forecast to affect locations particularly around low lying land and roads around Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries from 04:00AM on 20/02/2022. We are closely monitoring the situation. We will continue to monitor the forecast and re-issue this alert/warning if necessary. Avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses and do not attempt to walk or drive through flood water. This message will be updated by 11:00 AM on 20/02/2022, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 30 Dec 2021 15:43
River Irwell
River levels are rising on the River Irwell as a result of persistent rainfall. Consequently, flooding of low lying land, roads and farmland is possible today,30/12/2021. We believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries. Further rainfall is forecast this afternoon and throughout the evening. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary. Avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses and do not attempt to walk or drive through flood water.This message will be updated tomorrow morning, 31/12/2021, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 1 Nov 2021 16:56
River Irwell
River levels remain high on the River Irwell due to heavy rainfall. Flooding is possible at low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries today, on Monday 1 November 2021. Further rainfall is forecast this evening, on Monday 1 November 2021. Please avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses, and do not attempt to walk or drive through flood water. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring the situation. This message will be updated on 02/11/2021, or as the situation changes
Flood Alert issued on 1 Nov 2021 09:28
River Irwell
River levels are rising on the River Irwell due to heavy rainfall.
Flooding is possible at low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries today, Monday 1 November 2021.
Further heavy rainfall is forecast today, Monday 1 November 2021.
Avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses and do not attempt to walk or drive through flood water.
Our incident response staff are closely monitoring the situation.
This message will be updated in 8 hours, or as the situation changes
Flood Alert issued on 6 Feb 2021 13:20
River Irwell
River levels on the River Irwell are rising due to the rainfall we have seen overnight and throughout today 06/02/21. River levels will continue to rise throughout the afternoon. Flooding of low lying land and roads is expected. We do not expect to issue any Flood Warnings in this area. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue further updates where necessary. Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation. This message will be updated tomorrow, Sunday 07/02/2021, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 27 Jan 2021 18:26
River Irwell
River levels are forecast to rise at the Littleborough river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall. Consequently, flooding of low lying land, roads and farmland is possible tomorrow, on 28/01/21. We believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
We expect river levels to peak at 09:00am tomorrow morning, on 28/01/21.
Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary.
Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation.
This message will be updated in 8 hours, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 20 Jan 2021 08:47
River Irwell
River levels are continuing to rise at the Littleborough river gauge as a result of persistent rainfall. Consequently, we believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries. Further rainfall is forecast over the next few days due to Storm Christoph. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary. Please avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses, be aware of your surroundings, and keep up to date with the current situation. This message will be updated tomorrow, Thursday 21/01/2021, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 19 Jan 2021 18:15
River Irwell
River levels are rising at the Littleborough river gauge as a result of persistent rainfall. Consequently, we believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries. River levels are forecast to peak tomorrow, 20th January 2021. Further rainfall is forecast over the next few days due to Storm Christoph. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary. Please avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses, be aware of your surroundings, and keep up to date with the current situation. This message will be updated tomorrow, Wednesday 20th January, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 19 Jan 2021 09:51
River Irwell
River levels are rising at the Littleborough river gauge as a result of persistent rainfall. Consequently, we believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
Levels are forecast to pass through the flood alert threshold around 14:30pm this afternoon and peaking this evening around 19:00pm (19/01/2021). Further rainfall is forecast over the next few days due to Storm Christoph.
Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary. Please avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses, be aware of your surroundings, and keep up to date with the current situation. This message will be updated in 8 hours, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 26 Dec 2020 19:06
River Irwell
River levels are forecast to rise at the Littleborough river gauge as a result of Storm Bella. Consequently, flooding of low lying land and roads is possible tonight the 26th December 2020 going into tomorrow the 27th December 2020. Flooding is possible to affect low lying land and roads around the area. Please be aware further rainfall is forecast over the next 12 hours. Our incident response staff are monitoring river levels, and will issue further update where necessary. Please avoid using low lying footpaths near rivers. This message will be updated tomorrow, Sunday 27/12/20, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 1 Nov 2020 17:43
River Irwell
River levels are rising on the Upper Irwell as a result of heavy rainfall. Consequently, flooding of low lying land, roads and farmland is possible between 11pm today, and 3am on Monday 2nd November 2020. We believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
Further rainfall is forecast over the next 12 hours, however some of this rainfall could see intense downpours.
Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary.
Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation and avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses.
This message will be updated tomorrow morning, 02/11/2020, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 8 Oct 2020 09:03
River Irwell
As a result of heavy persistent rainfall, river levels have been rising in the Upper Irwell catchment throughout this morning and flooding of low lying land is possible in this area. The rain has now passed, but rivers will continue to rise slowly over the coming hours and are expected to fall later this afternoon on the 08/10/2020. Further showers are expected this evening but we are not expecting to issue any flood warnings for the Upper Irwell area. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue further flood alerts if necessary. Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation. This message will be updated tomorrow morning, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 10 Mar 2020 10:18
River Irwell
River levels are remaining steady as a result of the recent rainfall, we expect levels to begin falling later this afternoon, however further showers are forecast for over the coming days. Consequently, we believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Irwell, Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary. Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation. This message will be updated by 10:00 on 11/3/20, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 9 Mar 2020 17:36
River Irwell
River levels are rising and will continue to rise throughout the evening and through the night. Further rainfall is forecast for the rest of the evening until tomorrow 10/3/20) afternoon. Consequently, we believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Irwell, Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
We expect river levels to reach flood alert threshold at around 22:00 tonight (09/03/2020), levels will remain high throughout the night until midday tomorrow (10/3/20).
Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary.
Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation.
This message will be updated by 10:00 on 10/3/20, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 28 Feb 2020 15:52
River Irwell
River levels are rising at the Littleborough river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall. Consequently, we believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries this evening, 28/02/2020. We are not expecting to issue Flood Warnings at this time. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels. Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation. This message will be updated as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 24 Feb 2020 08:46
River Irwell
River levels on the Upper Irwell are rising as a result of rainfall in the early hours of this morning, 24/02/2020. We expect river levels to remain high throughout the day. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary. Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation. This message will be updated on by 10:30 tomorrow morning 25/02/2020, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 23 Feb 2020 18:24
River Irwell
River levels on the Upper Irwell have peaked earlier today and are expected to fall throughout 23/02/2020. Further heavy rainfall is expected in the early hours of Monday 24/02/2020 and river levels are expected to rise back up to the flood alert level on Monday morning, 24/02/2020. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary. Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation. This message will be updated on Monday morning 24/02/2020, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 23 Feb 2020 08:11
River Irwell
River levels on the Upper Irwell have peaked and are expected to fall throughout today, 23/02/2020. Further heavy rainfall is expected tonight and river levels could rise back up to the flood alert level in the early hours of Monday morning, 24/02/2020. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary. Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation. This message will be updated as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 22 Feb 2020 16:25
River Irwell
River levels on the Upper Irwell are expected to rise again as a result of new rainfall tonight (22/02/2020), going above flood alert level around 05:00am on Sunday (23/02/2020) (Littleborough river gauge). Levels are likely to peak on Sunday morning, approximately between 07:00 and 10:00.
Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary. Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation. This message will be updated on Sunday morning 23/02/2020, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 21 Feb 2020 15:25
River Irwell
River levels are forecast to rise at the Littleborough river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall. Consequently, we believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
We expect river levels to reach flood alert threshold at around 20:00 tonight (21/02/2020), peaking at around 22:00 tonight and then reducing below threshold in the early hours of Saturday morning (22/02/2020). At this point, we do not expect to issue any flood warnings.
We are closely monitoring the situation. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary.
Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation.
This message will be updated in 8 hours, or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 15 Feb 2020 18:53
River Irwell
River levels are forecast to rise on the Upper Irwell catchment as a result of heavy rainfall from Storm Dennis. Consequently, flooding of low lying land, roads and farmland is expected this evening, Saturday 15/02/20, and tomorrow morning, Sunday 16/02/20. We believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary.
Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation and avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses.
This message will be updated in 8 hours or as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 9 Feb 2020 17:49
River Irwell
River levels are now falling on the Upper Irwell catchment. However, we believe there is still a possibility of further flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries. Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue further updates as necessary. Please be aware of your surroundings, keep up to date with the current situation and avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses. This message will be updated as the situation changes.
Flood Alert issued on 8 Feb 2020 19:45
River Irwell
River levels are forecast to rise on the Upper Irwell catchment as a result of Storm Ciara. Consequently, flooding of low lying land, roads and farmland is expected early tomorrow morning and throughout the day, Sunday 09/02/20. We believe there is a possibility of flooding for low lying land and roads around the Rivers Beal, Roch and Croal, Limy Water and their tributaries.
Heavy rainfall is forecast overnight and into Sunday morning. We expect river levels to peak around midday on 09/02/20.
Our incident response staff are closely monitoring weather forecasts and river levels and will issue flood warnings if necessary.
Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation and avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses.
This message will be updated tomorrow morning, 09/02/20, or as the situation changes.