Flood Alert Issued for Vernham Dean, Upton, and the Bourne Valley Due to Rising Groundwater
This alert is no longer in effect.
Environment Agency issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this Environment Agency flood warning directly from Environment Agency's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
The Environment Agency has issued a flood alert for parts of Hampshire as rising groundwater levels threaten cellars and sewerage systems in the Bourne Valley.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Flood Alert
- Affected area
- Hampshire
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- Environment Agency
Flood notices turn on location and timing. Treat the named area as this record's scope; do not assume nearby counties, parishes, or waterways were included.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Hampshire.
Alert Details
The Environment Agency has issued a flood alert for groundwater flooding in Vernham Dean, Upton, and the Bourne Valley. This alert, classified as severity level 3, indicates that flooding is possible in the Solent and South Downs area.
Affected Areas
The primary geographic focus includes the county of Hampshire, specifically affecting:
- Vernham Dean
- Upton
- The Bourne Valley
- Hurstbourne Tarrant
- Stoke
- St Mary Bourne
Currently, flooding is affecting a small number of cellars in Upton, and septic tanks in the region are reported to be struggling to operate properly.
What You Should Do
Residents in the warning area are advised to prepare property resilience measures immediately. It is essential to ensure that any installed pumps are in good working order, especially for those located in Upton. The Environment Agency is closely monitoring the situation as groundwater levels fluctuate.
Expected Conditions
Data indicates that 19mm of rain has been recorded over the last week, causing the groundwater level at Vernham Dean to rise by 2.5m. For today, February 18, 2026, an additional 10 to 20mm of rain is forecast. While groundwater levels are beginning to stabilise, the sewerage systems and cellars in Hurstbourne Tarrant, Stoke, Vernham Dean, and St Mary Bourne remain at risk if heavy rain persists toward the end of February.
Timeline
The alert was officially raised at 11:15 AM on February 18, 2026. Small amounts of rain are forecast from Thursday, February 19, through Sunday, February 22. This message is scheduled to be updated by 6:00 PM on February 24, 2026, or sooner if conditions change significantly.
Original source: Environment Agency Official Notice ↗
Related Flood Warnings
All Flood Warnings →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this Environment Agency flood warning.