Live River Chelt levels and any flood warnings in force, read from the Environment Agency.
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Live levels for the River Chelt and any flood warnings in force near Cheltenham, read from the Environment Agency every 15 minutes. The Chelt runs largely culverted through the town centre, so it can rise out of sight — the 2007 floods reached around 600 buildings. The gauges below are listed in the order the water travels, from the eastern edge of town to the western, so a rise upstream is your early warning.
No flood warnings or alerts in force
Levels are measured against each gauge’s usual range — “above typical” doesn’t mean flooding, but it’s the first thing that moves when water is on its way.
| Gauge | Speaks for | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Charlton Kings | The Chelt entering town from the east at Charlton Kings — where it reached its highest level on record in the July 2007 flood. The first gauge to move when rain runs off Cleeve Hill. | Within typical range |
| Cox's Flume | Cox's Meadow, just upstream of the centre — the Environment Agency's flood-storage area that fills first to hold water back from the town | Within typical range |
| College Road | The culverted Chelt through the town centre near College Road — one of the reaches the Environment Agency keeps a flood-warning area for | Within typical range |
| Arle | The Chelt leaving town to the west through Arle — a high reading here means a lot of water has already come through the centre | Within typical range |
Cheltenham's flood risk is specific, not townwide. The Environment Agency keeps standing flood-warning areas on the River Chelt — including reaches at Charlton Kings and around College Road — and a wider flood-alert area for the Chelt and its tributaries. If any is activated it appears under 'Warnings in force' above. Surface-water flooding after sudden downpours can also affect low spots away from the river itself.
Each gauge is judged against its own usual range. 'Above typical' means the river is fuller than normal and worth watching — not that it is over its banks. For comparison, the Charlton Kings gauge usually sits around 0.3-0.45 m and reached 2.66 m in 2007.
This page is a window on the Environment Agency's data, not a replacement for a warning that wakes you up. Sign up for free flood warnings by phone, text or email for your exact address at gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings, or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 (24 hours; textphone 0345 602 6340). If flooding puts anyone in immediate danger, call 999.
Checked 25 June at 17:23. Uses Environment Agency flood and river level data from the real-time data API (Beta), Open Government Licence. Official warnings: check for flooding on GOV.UK.