Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Government alert?!?!

644 replies

hotmumshit · Yesterday 19:02

Uh Oh Wow GIF by Bounce

Omg? First use of the government phone alerts, i think??

OP posts:
Thread gallery
12
Ilikealltings · Yesterday 21:34

I honestly think it's misuse. Get it. Very serious case of lighting fires etc, but this message shouldn't be..... Dont do this......

XenoBitch · Yesterday 21:34

NervousSheepy · Yesterday 21:30

We don't have any rain forecast for the next 5 days at least here.

A few days ago, the forecast for where I am was predicting rain over the weekend. Now none.
That seems to be a recurrent thing right now... rain forecast then no rain forecast as it gets closer to the time.

Sesma · Yesterday 21:35

SinnerBoy · Yesterday 21:16

What time did it go off for most people? It went off a few minutes ago for me. I never got any of the Covid ones.

The Covid ones weren't alerts, they were more public information messages, There was no alert sound, they just popped up on the phone like a government texts iirc

Happyjoe · Yesterday 21:35

Did we not have some from covid times? Anyway, just like then I didn't get an alert. Partner did tho, wondered what was going on.

ConstantlyFuriosa · Yesterday 21:35

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Mixerfixer · Yesterday 21:37

ManchesterGirl2 · Yesterday 21:23

I agree. Can't they send a normal warning message without the scary noise? It should be for things that are imminent threats, otherwise people will start to ignore them in future.

Edited

It is a potential imminent threat in many areas

Voltaireiswoman · Yesterday 21:39

These alerts should not be used this way it annoys or desensitizes people so when one pops up saying "nuke/bombs" incoming they are likely to ignore it

LittleRobins · Yesterday 21:39

I think it’s a misuse of the system. These alerts should be used to save lives and put people out of immediate danger. Such as if a terrorist is in your area or a hurricane or even a wildfire that is getting close to your property.

Asking you not to light a bonfire via an alert is ridiculous. A text would suffice. These alerts have to be used appropriately. I’ve already spoken to people who have turned the alarm system off on their phones because of this misuse today. They are dangerous to people driving or in other vulnerable situations. Sometimes the risk is worth it, today it absolutely was not.

Pieceofpurplesky · Yesterday 21:40

If it makes one person think twice and not start a fire it is worth it. Those poor people who lost their homes, the PP boasting about having a portable bbq tonight, the kids on the hill near me watching the eclipse with a fire ... it takes one spark. It's really lucky nobody died in the house fires today - hearing the man on the news whose brother had to run in and save the dog, it's scary.
Most other countries have then but wow, do we moan about things in the UK!
As for Welsh/English - had it been in English first people would have moaned too. At least you know now there will be a follow up.

ManchesterGirl2 · Yesterday 21:40

Mixerfixer · Yesterday 21:37

It is a potential imminent threat in many areas

See my other post, it's been a threat for months

Owninterpreter · Yesterday 21:55

ManchesterGirl2 · Yesterday 21:40

See my other post, it's been a threat for months

But maybe the fire fighters are exhausted and stretched after dealing for quite a while now but weren't months ago. They are dealing with more fires than normal

Some of the fires take days and multiple appliances. They are supposed to rotate the people but there shifts are getting so long.

WeMeetInFairIthilien · Yesterday 21:56

To be fair, the Fire and Rescue Service made a request to the government to put out the alert.

Attached is a screenshot of the fires in South Wales, which the South Wales Fire & Rescue Service today declared a mayor incident, and have requested military support.

I woke up this morning to the smell of smoke, and hazy smoke IN BATH. To the degree that Avon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service had to put out an announcement stating that it was the prevailing winds bringing the smoke from South Wales.

We don't need any more fires!

Government alert?!?!
Redburnett · Yesterday 21:57

I will be very unlikely to pay attention to future alerts after that ridiculous one. I don't understand why it was necessary, or the timing (far too late after the heatwave), who even decides these things? It was a terrifying sound while I was enjoying a peaceful walk picking blackberries in a local lane - a totally unnecessary intrusion IMO. Sensible people will be, well, sensible, and idiots will go on being idiots.

Nonunifiedworkerworking · Yesterday 22:00

Probably a bit more to this than meets the eye ....

Hoardasurass · Yesterday 22:02

I'm in Scotland and this thread is the 1st I've heard about it so its clearly not uk wide

Summersorcherisjustsummer · Yesterday 22:03

XenoBitch · Yesterday 21:34

A few days ago, the forecast for where I am was predicting rain over the weekend. Now none.
That seems to be a recurrent thing right now... rain forecast then no rain forecast as it gets closer to the time.

Horrendous isn't it .

If we had better water companies ,more resovoirs etc we wouldn't be quite so desperate right now.

They need to sort out the water companies .

ceramicfrog · Yesterday 22:03

We were driving on the motorway and my DH who was driving almost jumped out of his skin when our phones started going off! He’s just got a new car which has various alerts which his old one didn’t have, so until we worked out that it was the phones (which were put away so not to hand, so it wasn’t obvious) he thought that something was seriously wrong with the car!

Summersorcherisjustsummer · Yesterday 22:04

Redburnett · Yesterday 21:57

I will be very unlikely to pay attention to future alerts after that ridiculous one. I don't understand why it was necessary, or the timing (far too late after the heatwave), who even decides these things? It was a terrifying sound while I was enjoying a peaceful walk picking blackberries in a local lane - a totally unnecessary intrusion IMO. Sensible people will be, well, sensible, and idiots will go on being idiots.

I agree becaause there are no reasons not too. Ie clear punishments.

Catpuss66 · Yesterday 22:05

nocoolnamesleft · Yesterday 19:05

Damn. Given my work phone went off before my personal one, my first thought was that the hospital had finally found a way to send crash calls directly to our phones, and I needed to leg it in. Glad it wasn't!

Don’t give them ideas!😂

JudgeJ · Yesterday 22:11

BlueBayBic · Yesterday 19:03

Terrified the life out of me!

I had just started my car, I wondered which of the too many lights on the display was trying to tell me something was wrong!

vitahelp · Yesterday 22:30

Is anyone else getting the alert multiple times? I had it at 7 then just came through again and scared me all over again. DH has had it several times now!

Digerydont · Yesterday 22:31

I was in the minor injuries clinic being treated for a garden mishap. The nurse received the alert and legged it, leaving me in the treatment room.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · Yesterday 22:32

vitahelp · Yesterday 22:30

Is anyone else getting the alert multiple times? I had it at 7 then just came through again and scared me all over again. DH has had it several times now!

I had it for the second time about 10 mins ago.

vitahelp · Yesterday 22:33

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · Yesterday 22:32

I had it for the second time about 10 mins ago.

Odd isn’t it, I hope it doesn’t go off again in the night..

roughtrenches2 · Yesterday 22:39

vitahelp · Yesterday 22:33

Odd isn’t it, I hope it doesn’t go off again in the night..

Yes teen daughter has it again just recently - I didn’t

Swipe left for the next trending thread