An Emergency Alert was set up to be received by millions in a UK-wide phone test however many people in Reading have reported that they recieved the alert late, or not at all.

The alert was due to be sent at 3pm yesterday (Sunday, April 23), so that the new government system could be tested.

Many Three customers, in particular, in Reading and beyond didn’t receive the government’s alert - plus others who were on other phone networks.

Three tweeted: “We're aware that a number of customers have not received the test alert. We're working closely with the government to understand why and ensure it doesn't happen when the system is in use.”

 

 

For those that recieved it, the alert sounded for 10 seconds and displayed a message notifying phone users that no action was needed in response to the test.

We asked Reading Chronicle readers if, and when, they recieved the alert.

One reader commented: "Didn’t get one, obvs not important enough."

Another added: "Neither me or my husband got the alert."

Jan Stack Campbell said she is "still waiting" for the alert.

While some people didn't recieve the alert at all, others seem to have got it more than once. Graham Allen said: "Depends if you mean at 15:00 when I first got it or 19:44 when I got it again."

Another claimed to have had a similar issue, adding: "I don’t even have a working phone number and it went off three times as kept switching off."

Samantha Rosier said she was playing hide and seek in the park when she recieved the alert. She joked: "My turn to hide needless to say it didn’t take them long to find me."

One commentor added their message was received fine and on the dot of 3pm, with other family members in Reading reporting it coming through within the next five minutes.

Berkshire was part of the pilot for the new system back in June 2021, with Reading residents recieving a similar alert. 

The system is similar to those in the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan and is intended to be used in life-threatening situations including flooding and wildfires.