Emergency Alert system to be tested UK-wide

The UK Government has announced that it will be testing an emergency alert system nationwide on Sunday, April 23.

The alert, which will be triggered on your mobile phone, consists of a message on the screen of the device, accompanied by a siren-like sound. This will last for approximately ten seconds, during which time your phone may also vibrate.

The government has advised that no action should be taken as a result of this test.

Working with mobile broadcasting technology, the government hopes that the Emergency Alerts system will transform the UK’s warning and informing capability. It aims to provide a means to get urgent messages quickly to nearly 90 percent of mobile phones in a defined area; giving clear instructions about how best to respond.

In a news release on the scheduled test, the UK Government advised: “Emergency Alerts will be used very rarely — only being sent where there is an immediate risk to people’s lives — so people may not receive an alert for months, or even years.

“The service has already been used successfully in a number of other countries, including the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan, where it has been widely credited with saving lives, for example, during severe weather events.

”In the UK, alerts could be used to tell residents of villages being encroached by wildfires, or of severe flooding.”

You can find out more about the Emergency Alert System on https://www.gov.uk/government/news/launch-of-life-saving-public-emergency-alerts

Advice on how to respond to an Emergency Alert is available on https://www.gov.uk/alerts