British families urged to buy old-school £5 gadget to prepare for WW3

Daily Mirror

01-07-2025

The government is urging families to be prepared for potential emergencies, including the outbreak of war and other mass disruptions like another pandemic or severe weather events
Brits are being advised to stock up on one appliance now to prepare for a potential outbreak of World War Three, or other large-scale disruptions like pandemics, internet outages or severe weather events.
In a stark new security strategy released last week, ministers warned that the nation now finds itself in "an era in which we face confrontation with those who are threatening our security".
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The government is ramping up its efforts to bolster national resilience and has plans to conduct a cross-government exercise to tackle emergency situations effectively.
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The document warns: "Some adversaries are laying the foundations for future conflict, positioning themselves to move quickly to cause major disruption to our energy and or supply chains, to deter us from standing up to their aggression."
"For the first time in many years, we have to actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario."
The UK government runs an advisory website aimed at equipping the public for various forms of national disruption, including warfare, extreme weather and cyber attacks.
Among the key pieces of advice for families is the recommendation to purchase battery-operated or wind-up radios, the Express reports.
The rationale behind this guidance is that in the event of National Grid power disruptions, these independent radios could become vital tools for broadcasting essential emergency updates to households during times of crisis.
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The advice states: "Battery or wind-up radio to get updates during a power cut - a car radio can be used, however, in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside."
The UK Prepare website also advises families to obtain a battery or wind-up torch, a portable power bank for charging phones, and spare AA batteries. Additionally, it recommends stocking up on bottled water, tinned food, and baby supplies if necessary.
The government guidance continues: "Consider what supplies you and your household might need during an emergency lasting a few days, such as a power cut or water outage, or situations where you are advised to stay at home or to leave your home (evacuate) for safety reasons.
"It can be helpful to keep these items in one place in your home and ideally somewhere easy to find if the lights aren't working - if you are escaping your house due to a fire you should not take anything with you at all.
"You could consider keeping items you might need to take with you if asked to leave your home quickly in a spare bag - you might hear some people call this a 'grab bag'."