A NATIONAL emergency alert service warning people of any potentially life-threatening events will be tested next month.

The alerts will be sent to devices across the UK to warn people about incidents such as wildfires and severe floods.

The service will be tested on Sunday, April 23.

In a media briefing held today – welcoming representatives from COBR, the Environment Agency, National Fire Chiefs Council, and MobilesUK – it was explained how the service was in its pilot stage.

It was mentioned how similar alert systems are used in other countries for missing people, for example, but this is not how it will be used in the UK as things stand.

Alerts would be sent in situations where there is an immediate threat to life.

The alerts would be sent to devices in specific areas.

When an alert is sent, a notification would appear on a screen and would remain there until the user dismisses it.

One representative compared this to the ‘low battery’ notification on iPhones.

Representatives explained how they would not want to overuse the alert systems, and that, at this current stage, they will be testing the waters with it.

The technology will allow the alerts to be pushed in one direction, so that data – such as people’s mobile phone numbers – would not be collected.