Doomsday map shows which areas would survive an apocalypse

A new map has shown which areas of the UK would be most at risk in the event of World War Three.

Postcodes likely to survive a national catastrophe have been plotted in a ‘Doomsday’ checker designed by a Ukrainian tech entrepreneur.

The tool, derived from property research website Inspector Walls, allows residents to search their postcode, which is graded from A to G, with G representing homes most at risk in an apocalyptic scenario.

The grade is calculated based on a property’s proximity to key sites, such as the Ministry of defense HQ, but also takes into account potential shelter points such as deep Tube stations.

It’s not an exact science and the website is at pains to say the grading is not a forecast.

Much of Northern Ireland, west Wales and the Scottish Highlands come out safe according to the model.

But major cities aren’t so lucky, given they’re at higher risk due to strategic targets and high population density.

Other areas in the red zone include towns near major defensive infrastructure such as RAF and Royal Navy bases, including Plymouth, close to HMNB Devonport.

The website is the brainchild of Serhii Kashevko, who used modelling based on the effects of Russian attacks in Ukraine.

He said he was inspired to create the tool, which also scores conventional facts of interest to home buyers and renters, including noise, after he and his partner moved to Bushey in north London.

Kashevko told Metro: ‘Everyone’s been talking about this, in every country.’

‘Every home is rated for energy performance, but it makes sense for every home to be rated for doomsday performance, especially in these times.’

Some of his findings were surprising. While many of us, particularly those living in the capital, would think to run for an Underground station in the event of an air raid, as Londoners did during the Blitz, this may not always be the safest option,

Higher ground, such as large hills, is a plus both in the case of flooding from a burst dam but also as a shield from missile attacks, particularly if you happen to be near critical national infrastructure.

The type of building we live in also matters, Kashevko says.

A 1980s flat in the Isle of Dog scored higher than a newly-built high-rise in Canary Wharf, because the former has access to a 160-liter water tank.

Fermanagh and Ormagh in Northern Ireland come out statistically as the safest place in the UK, with Snowdonia-protected Gwynedd given the lowest doomsday rating in Wales and the Shetland Islands rated as the most secure location in Scotland.

The coastal town of Thanet in Kent ranks as England’s safest place, with its distance from infrastructure and transport links a contributing factor.

Gosport, however, has the highest doomsday risk in the UK, with several London boroughs also ranking high due to their proximity to key targets.

Kashevko admitted his home in Bushey remains a ‘coin toss’ but is safer than his previous address in Bermondsey, which scored a poor ‘D’.

But he added that people should take the findings with a pinch of salt and not panic, but be alert if they are living in higher risk areas.

‘I wouldn’t take it seriously but these times are so uncertain’, he said.

‘When I was in Ukraine just before the war, two or three months before the war, everyone started talking about this,’ he added.

‘But most of the people were joking. We didn’t believe it.

‘Sometimes you don’t know what could happen and it’s good to be prepared.’

The entrepreneur said he didn’t believe ‘nukes would come to the UK’ but that cyberattacks presented a genuine threat.

Given the rising public interest in ‘Black sky’ events and their impacts, it’s no surprise the site has already logged more than 150,000 searches.

Just over half of homes in Wales ranked either A or B, which, in Kashevko’s words, may explain why ‘Reddit thought I was running a secret marketing campaign for Bridgend’.

UK households have been told to stock essential food and water for up to three days, as well as a wireless radio as part of the Government’s ‘Be Ready’ campaign.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@usnewsrank.com.

For more stories like this, check our news page.