Emergency Alert test: will there be another Emergency Alert test in the UK? Full details

• Millions of phones received an emergency alert this weekend.
• It was the second national test of the system.
• The Prime Minister hailed it as an “important step”.

A test of the country’s Emergency Alert system took place over the weekend. Millions of phones received the message on Sunday afternoon.

It caused mobiles and tablets to vibrate and make a siren-like sound for around ten seconds. The text featured a message explaining that it was just a test.

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But could we see another test of the system? Here’s all you need to know:

Emergency Alert test labelled ‘important step’

The test took place on Sunday (September 7) afternoon with the text arriving at 3pm-ish. It lasted for around ten seconds and did cause some disruption to live sporting events - despite it being the international break in football.

It sounded during the Women’s Rugby World Cup match between New Zealand and Ireland in Brighton. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Tens of millions of phones successfully sounded across the country during today’s Emergency Alert test. This is an important step in keeping people safe during national emergencies.”

Will there be another Emergency Alert test?

The message on Sunday afternoon was the second such national trial of the system. It followed the first one in spring 2023.

Since the original test, emergency alerts have been sent during major storms and other incidents. It was used in January during Storm Éowyn, when a red weather warning was issued for Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland.

It has not been confirmed if another test of the Emergency Alert system will take place in the future. There were more than two years between the first and second tests.

Explaining why the test was taking place this month, Pat McFadden, 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. This test is part of our action plan to build resilience across the whole country and secure the nation under the Plan for Change - from the £1 billion we’re investing in a new network of National Biosecurity Centres to the £4.2 billion we’re investing to build a new generation of flood defences to protect local communities.”

See which TV shows were disrupted by the Emergency Alert test this weekend. Plus who was advised to opt-out of the alert by the government.