History

 Why Flooding Happens in Newcastle 

Newcastle has been around since Roman times, when it was part of Hadrian’s Wall. Over the years, the city has grown, and water has always played an important role in its development. 

The River Tyne helped the city grow industrially and because it was a main place to cross between London and Edinburgh. In the past, Newcastle was a walled city surrounded by hills and moorland (town moors) to the north and west. Rainwater from these areas used to flow into the city through small streams called burns, such as: 

  • Skinner Burn
  • Lam Burn
  • Lort Burn
  • Errick Burn
  • Pandon Burn
  • Sandyford Burn 
map of Newcastle upon Tyne highlighting places of interest such as Dean Street and Newgate Street

From around 1400, as the city expanded, these burns were covered up and replaced with underground pipes and drains. These systems work well during normal rainfall, but they struggle when there are heavy storms. 

As more buildings and roads have been built, the way water moves through the city has changed. Hard surfaces like concrete and tarmac stop water from soaking into the ground. If buildings and roads are built without thinking about water flow, they can cause flooding by pushing water into places that aren’t designed to handle it. 

When there are intense storms, the drains can’t cope, and water follows the old paths of the burns. If something has been built over these paths, it can flood. 

What we need to do 

We can’t stop the rain, but we can manage it better. This means: 

  • Planning for heavy rain
  • Making sure drains and pipes work properly
  • Finding ways to use rainwater in useful ways 

Newcastle’s steep hills make water flow quickly downhill. Luckily, the Town Moors have been protected. Since most of the rain that flows through the city falls on the Moors, we can work with the Freemen of Newcastle (who manage the land) to help slow down the water when there’s too much for the drains to handle. 

There are also built-up areas uphill from the city. These can be improved to hold back water during storms and help protect homes from flooding.

Fire engine driving through flooded road
flooded underpass with brown muddy water

It all started with a flood 

On Thursday 28 June 2012, a huge thunderstorm hit the North East. People now call it Thunder Thursday. It rained so much that streets and homes were flooded. In Newcastle: 

  • Over 500 homes were flooded
  • Roads were badly damaged (costing £8.5 million)
  • The storm caused £760 million of damage to the local economy 

Other big storms have happened since then, like during the Great North Run in 2023. These events show that flooding is always a serious risk.