UK-wide test of the Emergency Alerts service

A test alert for the Emergency Alerts service was sent to England, Northern Ireland and Scotland on Sunday 23 April 2023, according to the government's record of past alerts¹. A separate test was sent to Wales on the same day, carrying the message in Welsh and English¹.

The test message read: "This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby." It added: "In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe." and "This is a test. You do not need to take any action."¹

The Welsh test carried the same wording in both languages, with the English text stating that the service was new at that point¹. The government's alerts page notes that "Emergency Alerts can be written in English or Welsh"¹.

The 2023 test was the first entry on the government's list of past alerts. Later entries show the service being used for real incidents, including red wind warnings for Storm Darragh in December 2024 and Storm Éowyn in January 2025, severe flood warnings on the River Soar in January 2025 and the River Roe and River Ive in May 2024, the movement of a WWII bomb in Plymouth in February 2024, and a wildfire alert for England and Wales in August 2026¹. A further UK-wide test was sent to England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales on Sunday 7 September 2025, by which time the wording described the service without the word "new"¹.

Why it matters for households

The test confirmed that the alert system reaches phones across the UK, and the government's message stated that no action was needed in response to a test¹. In a real emergency, the alert itself carries instructions, and the government's test message directed people to follow those instructions to keep themselves and others safe¹. The record of past alerts shows the kinds of incidents that have since triggered real alerts: red wind warnings, severe flooding, a bomb disposal operation and wildfire risk¹. The government's own alerts for storms advised people to stay indoors if they could, said it was unsafe to drive in those conditions, and suggested gathering torches, batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items already at home¹. For flooding, the Environment Agency alert for the River Soar directed people to a rest centre at the Methodist Church Hall in Barrow upon Soar and advised avoiding contact with floodwater¹.

Households can read how the system works in the guide to Emergency Alerts, check device compatibility in Will Your Phone Receive Emergency Alerts?, and read What Happens During an Emergency Alert Test. Guidance on responding to a real alert is set out in What to Do When You Get an Emergency Alert, with separate guidance on what to do if an alert sounds while driving and on how to tell if an emergency alert is genuine. The government's test message also pointed people to gov.uk/prepare for advice on preparing for emergencies¹.

What happens next

The government's record lists a further UK-wide test on 7 September 2025 and subsequent real alerts, the most recent dated Friday 14 August 2026, a wildfire alert sent to England and Wales with a Welsh-language version for Wales¹. No further test date beyond those entries has been reported¹.