A new Emergency Alert System has been created to warn the public if there is a nearby danger to life. A test run of this service has now been scheduled for Sunday, 23 April 2023 at 3pm.
Emergency Alerts are messages sent to all compatible 4G and 5G mobile phones when there’s a danger to your life, health, or property in the area you’re located.
The service doesn’t require your location or phone number and only the government and the emergency services can send the alerts. If you don’t have a mobile, you’ll still be kept informed through other channels. If you get an Emergency Alert on your phone, you’ll hear a loud, siren-like sound. A message on your screen will tell you about the emergency and how best to respond.
The alert will say:
This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK
government service that will warn you if there’s
a life-threatening emergency nearby.
In an actual emergency, follow the instructions
in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.
Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information.
This is a test. You do not need to take any action.
Your mobile phone or tablet may:
make a loud siren-like sound, even if it’s set on silent
vibrate
read out the alert
The sound and vibration will last for about 10 seconds.
An alert will include a phone number or a link to the GOV.UK website for more information.
You’ll get alerts based on your current location - not where you live or work. You do not need to turn on location services to receive alerts.
If you’re driving or riding when you get an alert
You should not read or otherwise respond to an emergency alert whilst driving or riding a motorcycle.
If you are driving, you should continue to drive and not respond to the noise or attempt to pick up the mobile phone and deal with the message.
Find somewhere safe and legal to stop before reading the message. If there is nowhere safe or legal to stop close by, and nobody else is in the vehicle to read the alert, tune into live radio and wait for bulletins until you can find somewhere safe and legal to stop.
It is illegal to use a hand-held device while driving or riding.
For more details visit www.gov.uk/alerts.
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