Exact date and time for UK emergency alert that will be sent to all mobile phones
Mobile devices will buzz and sound a loud siren for approximately 10 seconds - regardless of whether they're on silent mode. A notification will appear clarifying this is merely a test.
There's no action required when the test alert occurs - simply swipe the message away or press 'OK' on your phone's home screen, reports the Mirror's Pat McFadden.
The "Armageddon alert" underwent its initial nationwide trial in 2023, with five localised warnings sent subsequently to alert about severe weather conditions. Around 3.5 million people in Wales and South West England got an alert during Storm Darragh in December 2024, whilst it's also been deployed during flash floods in Cumbria and Leicestershire.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: "Emergency alerts have the potential to save lives, allowing us to share essential information rapidly in emergency situations including extreme storms.
"Just like the fire alarm in your house, it's important we test the system so that we know it will work if we need it."
The emergency alert system was deployed during a real crisis for the first time when an unexploded World War II bomb was found in Plymouth this February, as Tracey Lee, chief executive of Plymouth City Council, highlighted: "This was the first time the system had been used in a real emergency, and it played a vital role in helping us safely evacuate over 10,000 people and coordinate a complex, multi-agency response."
Countries such as Japan and the US have similar emergency systems in place. Finland conducts a nationwide test monthly, while Germany opts for an annual trial. A public information campaign will precede the upcoming test, with special attention to vulnerable groups, including domestic abuse victims. The public is encouraged to keep the potentially life-saving alert active, although there is an option to opt out for safety reasons.
Domestic abuse advocates previously expressed concerns that the alert could inadvertently tip off abusive partners about hidden phones. These developments coincide with the Government's release of a new strategy today (TUES) aimed at enhancing emergency preparedness and response.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
From bonkers asylum rulings to 2-tier justice that sees you banged up for a tweet, leftie lawyers are destroying Britain
THERE'S one thing you can be pretty sure of. If the politicians don't wreck the country, the lawyers will do it for them. And the great thing is that there are more lawyers than ever to do the job properly. 5 5 Few industries have seen such a growth rate as the legal profession. The number of lawyers and barristers in this country has more than TRIPLED since 1980. We have far more lawyers per head of population than the European average. And it is ever more the case that — especially under Labour — it's the lawyers who make all the important decisions. Public inquiries are led by lawyers. It's lawyers who stop us from deporting who the Government thinks we should deport. They are a barrier against democracy. Appalling decisions Take Lord Leveson. Now, you may remember him as the man who seemed to have a visceral loathing of the Press when he headed up his inquiry in 2012. He was in favour of all kinds of ruses which would have had a chilling effect on Press freedom and reporting on what slebs get up to when nobody is watching. Now Leveson has been asked by the government to come up with a few proposals to unclog our criminal justice system. Our courts are jam-packed with some people waiting four years for their cases to come to trial. See, the more lawyers you have, the longer it takes to get things done. Leveson has proposed scrapping jury trials for complicated cases such as fraud and bribery. Much quicker to get it all sorted out by a judge, you see. Drone footage shows terrifying scale of migrant hotel riot as mob tries to storm building But the right to a trial by jury is one of the cornerstones of a free country. As Manisha Knights, Solicitor Advocate with MK Law, said: 'Our jury system is central and pivotal to our justice system. With juries comes diversity whereas the judiciary still very much lacks it. 'The right to be tried by one's peers should not be removed or be diluted in any way, shape or form.' I trust a jury far more than I trust a judge. Judges have made some appalling decisions over the years. They are almost certainly doing so right now in an immigration tribunal somewhere near you. Judges, I'm afraid, are not to be trusted. Then there's Lord Hermer. Labour governments always have someone like Hermer around to make fatuous pronouncements. Tony Blair had Lord Falconer, who was in a special place beyond ghastly. And now we have Hermer. This oaf was heavily involved in the disastrous deal to give away the Chagos Islands to China's best pal, Mauritius. He also likened Tory and Reform people who wish to get the UK out from under European legislation to Nazis. A statement of such stupidity that it seems scarcely believable. And he has no time for the majority of us who believe we are living in a country with a two-tier justice system. Everything is fine, he insists, there is no difference between the way in which people are treated by our courts. 5 My arse. Tell that to Lucy Connolly, banged up for 31 months with no parole for tweeting nasty things on social media. That's longer than people get for GBH. It was a political decision by our courts, urged on them by the Government, to clobber the people who say horrid things about asylum seekers. Between them, Leveson and Hermer are making this country a slightly worse place in which to live. And the more we take notice of judges and lawyers, the worse this country becomes. Doctor's orders I WONDER how long it will take the Government to cave in to the outrageous demands of the junior doctors? They are demanding a 29 per cent pay rise. Either that, or they are out on strike. We'll see a surrender by Sir Keir. Just as we did with the train drivers. And so soon we'll be even deeper in debt. Even now, this seems less like a working government. And more like a collection of desperate men trying to cling to power. BELLA SANKEY is the boss of Brighton Council. She has reported me to the old bill for inciting terrorism. It was regarding a piece where I talked about detonating an atomic bomb over Glastonbury and Brighton. I said we shouldn't do this because it would be 'a horrible, psychopathic thing to do'. Maybe this was the bit Bella disagreed with, I don't know. But I am wondering why this obnoxious woman has not been arrested for wasting police time. AXEING IS OVER EGGED IT seems to me a bit rough that Gregg Wallace can be booted out of the BBC after 21 years. And yet we don't get told exactly why. He says all the harassment claims against him were rubbish. But we are told he used 'inappropriate language' from time to time. Goodness. I suppose by that they mean working-class language. He was probably a bit ribald from time to time. Which is why, of course, they took him on. To be a low-bred cheeky chappy. There are exactly four working-class people in the BBC now Gregg has left. If I see him down The Den I must remind him to keep his language polite in case his fellow spectators are embarrassed or offended. Why's global warming such a hot topic? Surely heatwave is simply summer . . . 5 WE'RE in the middle of yet another ' heatwave ', apparently. The BBC – and others – keep reporting that we will see more and more of these as global warming increases. Me, I thought we'd be seeing more and more of them because it was that thing called 'summer'. It's 19C up where I am. Pleasantly warm. I don't doubt global warming. But I am bored of its propagandists laying it on so thick. THREAT TO FREE SPEECH LABOUR is working on a definition of Islamophobia, so that they can stop people saying what they think. It is yet another restriction on freedom of speech. In any case, people don't have an 'irrational fear' about Islam, which is what Islamophobia means. They have a perfectly rational misgiving about certain elements of the religion. Anyway, the think tank Policy Exchange has been delving into the organisations giving advice to Labour. One of those organisations is the Centre for Media Monitoring, which is closely allied to the Muslim Council of Britain. Policy Exchange said of this group: 'The aim of this campaign, in the words of its own supporters, is to control and prevent conduct 'far beyond' anti-Muslim hatred or discrimination (which all can agree are wrong, but which are already illegal). 'It is to impose 'appropriate limits to free speech' when talking about Muslims, and special protections for Muslims.'
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Government urges Fujitsu to pay compensation to victims of Post Office scandal
The call came as critics pointed out the Japanese tech giant had 'paid not one penny' for the 'havoc and misery that it helped to cause'. They also argued the under-fire company 'should be nowhere near' new Government contracts as it emerged it continued to secure lucrative multimillion-pound deals with Whitehall, bankrolled by the taxpayer. The company has already acknowledged it has a 'moral obligation' to contribute to compensation, pending the outcome of the public inquiry led by Sir Wyn Williams. The firm has come under renewed pressure after the publication of the first part of Sir Wyn's final report. It found around 1,000 people were wrongly prosecuted and convicted after Fujitsu's defective Horizon accounting system made it appear as though money was missing at their Post Office branches. Some victims were sent to prison or financially ruined, others were shunned by their communities, and some took their own lives. The long-running battle for justice accelerated dramatically after ITV broadcast the drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which highlighted the scandal. Sir Wyn said around 10,000 people are eligible to submit compensation claims following what has been dubbed as the worst miscarriage of justice in British legal history. Labour former MP Kevan Jones, who now sits in the upper chamber as Lord Beamish, has been a long-standing champion for the subpostmasters. He said: 'To date, the Government and taxpayers have paid over a billion pounds, quite rightly, to those victims. 'Fujitsu have not paid one penny piece. They may have a moral obligation, but moral obligations do not pay compensation.' He added: 'So when will the Government get on and force Fujitsu to act on its moral obligations, put its hands in its pockets and at least pay some interim payments? Responding, Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent said: 'With regards to the payments by Fujitsu, we urge them to make interim payments, but there are ongoing conversations with Fujitsu, including regular meetings with the Crown representative, the Cabinet Office and DBT (the Department for Business and Trade) and we will continue to have such meetings.' Conservative peer Lord Arbuthnot, who played a pivotal role in exposing the scandal, said: 'Fujitsu has paid not one penny towards the victims of the havoc and misery that it helped to cause. 'Is the Government – is the country – over a barrel to Fujitsu? If not, why is Fujitsu still winning government work? If we are, what are the Government doing about it?' Lady Anderson said: 'They have accepted that they have a moral obligation to give funds, but he will be even more aware than I am that we are yet to see a penny. 'Fujitsu have agreed that they will have to make a financial contribution, but I am urged not to give a running commentary, although we will welcome any interim payment in due course.' In addition to extensions available under Fujitsu's existing contracts, a further 12 new deals had been struck with the company over the last year. The Government has said the majority are for services already provided by Fujitsu and were put in place to ensure continuity of services. Liberal Democrat Lord Clement-Jones raised concerns over HM Revenue & Customs continuing to award contacts to Fujitsu. He said: 'In the light of the Horizon report, which condemns Fujitsu's conduct as a key contributor to the suffering of thousands of innocent people, isn't it already very clear that Fujitsu should be nowhere near any new contract?' Lady Anderson said: 'Some of this is about continuity of service, to make sure that we are still able to have business supply secured.' Given the 'human tragedies' caused by the wrongful convictions of subpostmasters, Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick pressed the minister over due diligence measures 'to ensure that contractors with a history of significant failures or legal issues can demonstrate that they have addressed these concerns before being awarded new contracts'. Lady Anderson said new procurement legislation provided buyers with more scope to exclude suppliers who had performed poorly on previous contracts. She added: 'Due diligence on such failures is also more straightforward as the act now provides for the sharing of information on poorly performing suppliers.' A Fujitsu spokesperson said: 'We remain committed to providing our full cooperation to the inquiry as Sir Wyn prepares his final report and we are engaged with Government regarding Fujitsu's contribution to compensation.' They added: 'We continue to work with the UK Government to ensure we adhere to the voluntary restrictions we put in place regarding bidding for new contracts while the Post Office inquiry is ongoing.'
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Government urges Fujitsu to pay compensation to victims of Post Office scandal
The call came as critics pointed out the Japanese tech giant had 'paid not one penny' for the 'havoc and misery that it helped to cause'. They also argued the under-fire company 'should be nowhere near' new Government contracts as it emerged it continued to secure lucrative multimillion-pound deals with Whitehall, bankrolled by the taxpayer. The company has already acknowledged it has a 'moral obligation' to contribute to compensation, pending the outcome of the public inquiry led by Sir Wyn Williams. The firm has come under renewed pressure after the publication of the first part of Sir Wyn's final report. It found around 1,000 people were wrongly prosecuted and convicted after Fujitsu's defective Horizon accounting system made it appear as though money was missing at their Post Office branches. Some victims were sent to prison or financially ruined, others were shunned by their communities, and some took their own lives. The long-running battle for justice accelerated dramatically after ITV broadcast the drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which highlighted the scandal. Sir Wyn said around 10,000 people are eligible to submit compensation claims following what has been dubbed as the worst miscarriage of justice in British legal history. Labour former MP Kevan Jones, who now sits in the upper chamber as Lord Beamish, has been a long-standing champion for the subpostmasters. He said: 'To date, the Government and taxpayers have paid over a billion pounds, quite rightly, to those victims. 'Fujitsu have not paid one penny piece. They may have a moral obligation, but moral obligations do not pay compensation.' He added: 'So when will the Government get on and force Fujitsu to act on its moral obligations, put its hands in its pockets and at least pay some interim payments? Responding, Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent said: 'With regards to the payments by Fujitsu, we urge them to make interim payments, but there are ongoing conversations with Fujitsu, including regular meetings with the Crown representative, the Cabinet Office and DBT (the Department for Business and Trade) and we will continue to have such meetings.' Conservative peer Lord Arbuthnot, who played a pivotal role in exposing the scandal, said: 'Fujitsu has paid not one penny towards the victims of the havoc and misery that it helped to cause. 'Is the Government – is the country – over a barrel to Fujitsu? If not, why is Fujitsu still winning government work? If we are, what are the Government doing about it?' Lady Anderson said: 'They have accepted that they have a moral obligation to give funds, but he will be even more aware than I am that we are yet to see a penny. 'Fujitsu have agreed that they will have to make a financial contribution, but I am urged not to give a running commentary, although we will welcome any interim payment in due course.' In addition to extensions available under Fujitsu's existing contracts, a further 12 new deals had been struck with the company over the last year. The Government has said the majority are for services already provided by Fujitsu and were put in place to ensure continuity of services. Liberal Democrat Lord Clement-Jones raised concerns over HM Revenue & Customs continuing to award contacts to Fujitsu. He said: 'In the light of the Horizon report, which condemns Fujitsu's conduct as a key contributor to the suffering of thousands of innocent people, isn't it already very clear that Fujitsu should be nowhere near any new contract?' Lady Anderson said: 'Some of this is about continuity of service, to make sure that we are still able to have business supply secured.' Given the 'human tragedies' caused by the wrongful convictions of subpostmasters, Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick pressed the minister over due diligence measures 'to ensure that contractors with a history of significant failures or legal issues can demonstrate that they have addressed these concerns before being awarded new contracts'. Lady Anderson said new procurement legislation provided buyers with more scope to exclude suppliers who had performed poorly on previous contracts. She added: 'Due diligence on such failures is also more straightforward as the act now provides for the sharing of information on poorly performing suppliers.' A Fujitsu spokesperson said: 'We remain committed to providing our full cooperation to the inquiry as Sir Wyn prepares his final report and we are engaged with Government regarding Fujitsu's contribution to compensation.' They added: 'We continue to work with the UK Government to ensure we adhere to the voluntary restrictions we put in place regarding bidding for new contracts while the Post Office inquiry is ongoing.'
