PHONES in Reading screeched with a loud siren sound as an emergency alert message popped up.
At 1pm today (June 29) people in Reading jumped as their phones made a loud alarm noise as part of the government's new alert system.
People working, living or travelling through the town on this date and at this time will have received this alert.
And those who received the alert were quick to jump on Twitter. Here's what some people said:
Good god, the emergency alert test just happened & I've never been so terrified in my life 😱😱 I can safely say it works! #rdguk
— Eleanor 🪅 (@ronaelekroy) June 29, 2021
Oof, that made me jump #rdguk
— Peter Bowyer (@bowyerp) June 29, 2021
Oh that was quite exciting #rdguk #EmergencyAlert
— Ian Reeve (@IanGReeve) June 29, 2021
It read: "The UK government is testing Emergency Alerts in Reading, Berkshire.
"Emergency alerts tell you what to do if there’s a life-threatening event nearby.
"To find out more, call 0808 1697692 or search for gov.uk/alerts"
Alerts are sent to phones 'within an area of risk' and do not track location, require your phone number or collect personal data.
Following the testing, the alerts system is expected to launch in summer 2021.
If you don't have a mobile phone, you will be informed of the danger through another channel.
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