Flood risk across Cambridgeshire
Much of northern Cambridgeshire is fenland, some of it below sea level, kept dry by embankments, drains and pumping stations run by internal drainage boards. The Great Ouse and the Nene carry water across the Fens to the Wash, and the Ouse Washes are designed to flood each winter to protect land around them.
Flood zones only show river and sea flooding, and they ignore flood defences. Surface water and reservoir risk aren’t part of the zones – check them on the Environment Agency’s long-term flood risk service, or get the full report, which covers every source.
Rivers that shape local flood risk
Main rivers are managed by the Environment Agency. Smaller watercourses and drainage are the responsibility of Cambridgeshire County Council and landowners.
River Great Ouse – St Neots, Huntingdon, St Ives and Ely
River Cam – Cambridge
River Nene – Peterborough and Wisbech
Ouse Washes – Washland between the Old and New Bedford Rivers
River Kym – Kimbolton and St Neots
Who manages flood risk here
Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council are the Lead Local Flood Authorities, responsible for surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses. The Environment Agency manages main rivers and the sea, and issues flood warnings. Your district or borough council decides planning applications – and asks for a flood risk assessment in Flood Zones 2 and 3.
Getting a written answer for an address
The free check describes the area around your postcode. For a specific property, the full report checks your exact address against every flood dataset and gives you a dated PDF to share with your surveyor, conveyancer or insurer.
For planning decisions, your local council has the final say.
