Britain is braced for unprecedented chaos next month as millions of mobile phones across the country will suddenly erupt with a deafening alarm in what ministers are hailing as “one of the biggest drills in UK history.”
The emergency test, designed to prepare the nation for terror strikes, natural disasters and wartime threats, will see every 4G and 5G phone in the UK flash and scream simultaneously, even if devices are on silent or locked.
For up to ten seconds, mobiles will blare out an ear-splitting warning and display an urgent message ordering the public to take immediate notice. The shrill sound cannot be stopped, switched off or silenced – leading critics to brand the plan “reckless scaremongering.”
Commuters fear mayhem on packed trains and buses, where the mass alarm could spark panic. Parents have raised concerns that classrooms full of children will be thrown into confusion, while charities warned the system risks traumatising vulnerable groups, including the elderly, dementia patients and victims of domestic abuse hiding secret phones.
The Government insists the drill is vital. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “This system could save lives. We are unapologetic about testing it at scale to ensure it works in a real crisis.”
The technology, already used in America, Japan and the Netherlands, is designed to send location-specific alerts warning of dangers such as terror incidents, industrial accidents, floods and even nuclear threats. Ministers say the alerts will only ever be used in the gravest of circumstances.
