Emergency Alert – National Test
On September 07 at approx. 3 pm the government will be running an emergency alert test. Please make sure your elderly relatives and neighbours with mobile phones are aware this is just a test.
Published: 28 July 2025
Emergency Alerts is a UK government system that provides warning and advice in a life threatening emergency.
Thresholds for the use of Emergency Alerts are:
- Lives are at risk.
- There is urgency
- Action is needed
- Defined location of the risk
The government will be running a national test of the Emergency Alerts system on Sunday, 7th September 2025.
What happens when you get an emergency alert
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 locations services to receive alerts.
For full details visit About Emergency Alerts – GOV.UK (opens in new tab) for more information.
There are simple and effective steps you can take to be more prepared for an emergency in your area. Visit gov.uk/prepare (opens in new tab) for more information.
To get local information on how to be prepared for emergencies please visit Wiltshire and Swindon Prepared (opens in new tab)
