Surrey rankings
Surrey towns with low flood risk
Surrey sits across several river catchments — including the Thames, Mole, Wey, and Eden — and parts of the county carry significant Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 or 3 designations. Flood zone designation does not mean a property floods regularly, but it does affect insurance premiums and mortgage conditions, and it is a factor most buyers want to understand before committing.
This page ranks Surrey's eleven districts by the proportion of the district area that falls within EA Flood Zone 2 or above, where that data is available. Crime rate is shown alongside as a secondary indicator of residential character.
Flood zone is a district-level proxy. The risk at any specific property depends on its precise location, elevation, and proximity to watercourses. A full Area Report on a specific postcode shows the EA flood zone designation and surface water risk for that exact location.
Get an Area Report for any Surrey postcodeThe ranking
Sources: EA National Flood Risk Assessment (NAFRA2) for flood zone coverage; Home Office Police Recorded Crime + ONS population estimates for crime. Both under Open Government Licence v3.0. Sorted by EA Flood Zone 2+ coverage (lowest first).
| # | District | EA Flood Zone 2+ area | Offences per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waverley | 0.0% | 36.8 |
| 2 | Elmbridge | 0.0% | 50.6 |
| 3 | Mole Valley | 0.0% | 52.9 |
| 4 | Surrey Heath | 0.0% | 53.5 |
| 5 | Tandridge | 0.0% | 54.9 |
| 6 | Woking | 0.0% | 59.6 |
| 7 | Reigate and Banstead | 0.0% | 61.0 |
| 8 | Epsom and Ewell | 0.0% | 62.5 |
| 9 | Runnymede | 0.0% | 69.2 |
| 10 | Guildford | 0.0% | 70.3 |
| 11 | Spelthorne | 0.0% | 80.7 |
How we ranked this
The ranking uses two criteria:
- EA Flood Zone 2 or above coverage (primary sort, where available) — the estimated percentage of the district's geographic area that falls within EA Flood Zone 2 (medium probability: greater than 1 in 1,000 chance of flooding per year) or Zone 3 (high probability: greater than 1 in 100 chance). Lower percentage ranks first. Computed via a PostGIS spatial intersection between the district centroid buffer and the EA National Flood Risk Assessment (NAFRA2) flood zone polygons. When the RPC function is not yet deployed, this column is absent and districts are sorted by crime rate instead. Data source: Environment Agency NAFRA2, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Recorded crime rate (secondary sort / tiebreaker) — offences per 1,000 residents for the district. Lower rate ranks first. Data source: Home Office Police Recorded Crime, Open Government Licence v3.0.
EA Flood Zone designation is a land-use planning tool, not a per-property flood history record. A property within a designated flood zone is not guaranteed to flood, and a property outside a designated zone is not guaranteed to be safe from flooding — surface water, sewer, and groundwater flooding can affect properties in unzoned areas. A full Area Report on a specific postcode provides the EA zone designation, surface water risk category, and historical flood event data for that location.
Check flood risk for a specific Surrey postcode
An Area Report shows the EA flood zone, surface water risk, and historical flood data for your exact postcode — alongside schools, crime, air quality, broadband and the local property market.
Get an Area ReportSources
- Flood zones. EA National Flood Risk Assessment 2 (NAFRA2). Environment Agency flood risk data © Crown copyright and database right. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Crime. Home Office Police Recorded Crime, joined with ONS mid-year population estimates. Open Government Licence v3.0.
EA Flood Zone figures are district-centroid approximations, not exact per-property designations. See our disclaimer.