Emergency alert to go off on Sunday with millions of people to receive warning message

Millions of phones will go off across the country on Sunday in a test Emergency Alert that keeps the country “safe”, a Cabinet minister has said.

The system will be tested at 3pm on Sunday, September 7, which will see devices on 4G and 5G networks make a loud siren for 10 seconds, vibrate and show a message making clear it is a test.

Emergency planners in the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBR) Unit have carefully chosen the time for the largest UK public safety exercise of its kind to minimise disruption.

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It follows a government commitment to test the system regularly, in line with standard practice in other countries, such as Japan and the USA. The second-ever national drill of the warning system, it gives a rare insight into what a national response during major incidents would look like.

Minister Pat McFadden said: “I know Brits will keep their cool when phones across the UK make a siren-like noise today [Sunday] at 3pm. It’s important to remember this is only a test, just like the fire drills we all do in our schools and workplaces.

“We’re carrying out the test to make sure the system works well when we need it most, and afterwards, we’ll work with mobile network operators to assess performance.

“The test takes just ten seconds, but it helps us keep the country safe 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”

Announcements and signs telling the public to save the date have also been rolled out across the UK, using spaces from motorways, railway and bus stations to museums, GP surgeries, concerts and theatres.

The campaign has featured communications tailored to specific audiences, including a video in British Sign Language, and bilingual adverts in Welsh.

Emergency Alerts have been used in five real emergencies, including Storm Éowyn this January when 4.5 million people across Scotland and Northern Ireland received one. In Plymouth last year, it was used to evacuate more than 10,000 residents after an unexploded Second World War bomb was discovered.

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