Government alert?!?!

Don't forget the AIDs information leaflets in the 80s !

I agree.
Unlike many here I didn't almost have a heartr attack, feel the alert uneccesary, or just like to moan for moanings sake. Neither am I a scaremonger, seeing doom and gloom everywhere I look, but the risk of fires breaking out almost anywhere is a now real risk.

I am surrounded by bone dry fields, the grass was allowed to grow and turn into bush and shrub, it's now been cut not collected, and sits on the ground ripe for a stray match or idiots with disposable BBQ's to create disaster for all surrounding properties.

Andy Burnham was right when he said the UK is like a tinderbox, I have never known it be like this before....and I have been around a long time.

This is a new threat, and one I think will become more and more common in summers to come.

Maybe they should have given them a proper alert about it at the time which is what the alert system is meant to be for

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/crjejgz55k7pt
Those of you still moaning about the alerts maybe you need to go and read/watch this, so you can see that at any point it could be any one of your homes next. But I’m betting that you won’t actually go and read it. There’s lots of pictures and videos tho, if there’s too many long words… I imagine any of these people (and everywhere else that’s affected) would’ve given their right arm to have had this alert a few days ago, for the small chance that it might’ve made someone think twice so that it may never have happened.
This shit is serious, check your privilege of not living somewhere that the fires are happening. But any of us could be, at any time. And that is why we need alerts. We shouldn’t need to have them but unfortunately we do, because people are stupid and ignorant.

Well, tbf, I think the next time there’s an alert they’ll be the ones still hanging around in the danger zone and not evacuating so they’ll be easy to spot them! 🤔

Please tell us how a signal to all mobiles in the area of a transmitter picks out high risk offenders? Really interested to know. Do the authorities go round taking the mobile numbers of potential arsonists and people who at some stage in life might have a bonfire of BBQ?

You've really got to wonder how some people's minds work sometimes.

The grass on the downs where I live is tinder-dry and pretty much the same in the gardens. I wouldn't risk smoking a ciggie out there, let alone have a barbecue.

Absolutely this.

Half the houses in the next road from me back onto fields with public footpaths running through them. I've seen people sitting in the field having barbecue picnics plenty of times. Because we're high on a hill, it's generally breezy too, so easier for a fire to take hold and to spread.

With everything in the gardens so incredibly dry, it wouldn't take much for a fire to take hold, as we've seen in Stourbridge. And people can be both daft and selfish, often simultaneously.

It would have been better for the warning message to have been sent solely to the daft and selfish, but they're not an easy group to identify, so sending it to everyone is perfectly sensible.

Do you really think that's what they do?

I’ve actually just checked and mine is still in my pull down notifications. I honestly can’t remember if I clicked on it at some point, I assume I must’ve. It did remind me to look on my phone to remind myself where in the settings it was hiding. Just so I knew, I’m not going to disable either of the alerts.

You know the way herds of wild animals sense something is going to happen before it does, and off they all suddenly stampede away? Well, I think you need to keep an eye out for any sudden movement amongst the groups of Welsh speakers nearby and get ready to run! 😄
(but yes, I get the problem there!)

You need to keep them on really as its for your own safety. I know they're frightening, I thought it was an alarm in my hoùse at first but what for I didn't know ??

😂

Thank you for the link. I have requested an option for silent alerts to be made available for the hard of hearing and those with sensory issues. 🙏

Maybe the government should bring back the public information films and show them in schools and put them out on social media. I’m not against this particular idea , but it’s clearly upset a lot of people because of the noise it made and the panic it caused some.
However, whatever the government does is always wrong with a lot of people , so they can’t win.

I always have phone on mute it’s not that, it still made the noise.

But do you really want the same alert for hosepipe bans?

Technical glitch. You can feedback anonymously.
surveys.publishing.service.gov.uk/s/5m75hq

I was waiting at traffic lights yesterday afternoon when the ambulance behind me suddenly burst into life with sirens and flashing lights. It made me jump. I think I'll start a campaign to reduce emergency service vehicles to just flashing lights so that people aren't momentarily startled.

Sarcasm, just in case someone thinks I'm serious. Honestly, some on here need to get a grip.

I had 8 alerts between 7pm and 10.05pm. Is this because I’m a high risk offender? (Genuine question).

It seems more like a malfunction to me and was honestly driving me mad. Was happy to receive one alert - seems a sensible public service message but 8?! That is honestly ridiculous.

Already had a text this morning from an agricultural tenant. Can we still bbq today.

The alert did nothing 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ also another big deliberate looking fire in a near by field at 2am.

I would like to ask people moaning about this being misuse and that it will make people ignore serious ones next time, how many more than the very local alerts did you get since the alerts were set up?
Doesn't the number maybe tell you that it is actually serious....

I wonder if you switch this on, it will help those with hearing aids from it being so loud ?

Another one at five in the sodding morning! Now THAT is unreasonable.

check your notification settings in your phone. They may be off.

still surprised the amount of people who can’t cope with a noise on their phone.

they'll be first to moan when their house is burnt down, flooded or worse because nobody warned them!

Bit of natural selection to help the planet though I guess.

I am relieved to find I can switch off these alerts on my phone, so thank you Mumsnet. I never want to hear a noise like that again unless a bomb is about to fall (in which case it would almost certainly be too late anyway).