South Coast House Prices
Parish of West WitteringChichester district98 postcodes

Flooding and land in West Wittering

Figures last changed 22 October 2026. House prices for West Wittering are on the main West Wittering page.

Flood zone 3
11 of 98
postcodes; 11 more in zone 2
Surface water
25 of 98
high or medium risk within 25 m
Rivers and sea, 2050s
18 → 31
postcodes at high or medium risk, now then in the 2050s
Flood warnings
0 days
in the 10 years to June 2026
The water's edge seen from the rebuilt sea defences at West Wittering, looking towards East Head
Photo: Dave Spicer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Does West Wittering flood?

From rivers and the sea, parts of it can. Eleven of West Wittering's 98 postcodes have their centre point inside Environment Agency flood zone 3, the highest band, and eleven more sit in zone 2. These zones cover rivers and the sea only and ignore flood defences. Rain is a separate risk: on the Environment Agency's surface-water map (read 22 October 2026), 25 of the 98 postcodes (26%) have high or medium risk within 25 metres of their centre point. Groundwater isn't mapped in either, and a postcode is not a house: check an exact address on GOV.UK.

Source: Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning · Check an address for flood risk · What the flood zones leave out · New builds and Flood Re.

What locals say

  • Locals don't think of West Wittering as a place that floods, though the flood maps put parts of it in the highest zone.

Will West Wittering flood more in future?

Yes, noticeably more, on the Environment Agency's climate change scenario. Its long-term flood maps, unlike the flood zones above, count flood defences. From rivers and the sea, 18 of West Wittering's 98 postcodes have their centre point at high or medium risk today, and 31 under the scenario, which runs to the 2050s with sea level rise to 2065; at high risk alone, 16 today and 30 then. From heavy rain, 25 have high or medium risk within 25 metres today, and 34 under the scenario. High risk means at least a 1 in 30 chance of flooding in any year, and medium means between 1 in 100 and 1 in 30. The maps were read on 22 October 2026.

Source: Environment Agency long-term flood risk maps, today and with climate change.

How often does West Wittering get flood warnings?

None in the ten years to June 2026: the Environment Agency issued no flood warning for the areas covering West Wittering. 26 of its 98 postcodes sit inside the Agency's flood warning area "West Wittering and East Wittering coast" (Chichester Harbour, The Solent, English Channel), with none. No severe flood warning, the level that means danger to life, was issued in that time. Flood alerts, the earlier message that flooding is possible, went out on eight days in that time, most recently on 8 January 2026. Warnings cover flooding from rivers and the sea, and groundwater in a few places, not heavy rain on its own. Each count is of days on which a new warning or alert went out, so updates on an event already running are not counted again.

Source: Environment Agency Historic Flood Warnings · Environment Agency flood warning and alert areas (real-time flood-monitoring API) · Sign up for free flood warnings.

Is the coast at West Wittering eroding?

Not where homes are, on current plans. The shoreline plan for the 17.6 km of coast within 500 metres of West Wittering's postcodes, through to 2105: 9.6 km hold the line, 8.0 km managed realignment. None of its postcodes has its centre point in land the Environment Agency's erosion map expects to be lost by 2105, if that plan is carried out and with its higher central allowance for climate change.

Source: Environment Agency National Coastal Erosion Risk Map 2024.

Are there old landfill sites near West Wittering?

None that the Environment Agency knows of: its record of historic landfill sites shows none within 500 metres of a West Wittering postcode. The nearest is Stubcroft Farm, 0.5 km away, which took inert waste such as soil and rubble between 1980 and 1985. A historic landfill is an old tip with no environmental permit in force: one that closed before tips were licensed, or whose licence has since ended. The Agency says much of its record comes from a national survey in the early 1990s, so it may be incomplete, and some boundaries are only approximate. An old tip nearby does not by itself mean a problem; the council's contaminated land register, or a search on an exact address, says more.

Source: Environment Agency Historic Landfill Sites.

Flooding and land in nearby places

  • West Itchenor: Parts of it can: three of its 22 postcodes are in flood zone 3; 2 (9%) have high or medium risk from heavy rain.
  • Birdham: Very little from rivers and the sea: none of its 58 postcodes is in flood zone 3; 18 (31%) have high or medium risk from heavy rain.
  • Chidham and Hambrook: Parts of it can: one of its 80 postcodes is in flood zone 3, and one more in zone 2; 22 (28%) have high or medium risk from heavy rain.
  • Bosham: Parts of it can: ten of its 122 postcodes are in flood zone 3, and four more in zone 2; 39 (32%) have high or medium risk from heavy rain.

Figures cover 98 postcodes in West Wittering. How these figures are made.