Serious Questions over Use of UK Emergency Alerts, Its Creators Say - BBC News
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We helped create UK emergency alert system - but question how government is using it
By Ewan Somerville, Political Reporter
Published 15 minutes ago
As the Conservative minister who launched the UK's emergency alert system, Oliver Dowden was more than familiar with the loud bleeping sound coming from his phone earlier this month. What took him by surprise was the message on the screen. Like millions of people across England and Wales, the "severe alert" on 14 August warned him of a "very high risk of wildfires nationally" and against doing anything that could start a fire, including lighting disposable barbecues.
It was the biggest use of the system to date - but Dowden has now weighed in to question whether it was strictly necessary.
Dowden and two officials who helped create the government's emergency alert system are calling for Labour ministers to be up front with the public on what it could be used for in future.
"I was surprised at the decision to issue this nationwide alert and it raises some serious questions," Dowden tells BBC News.
"The government needs to clarify the criteria for its use and why this alert met those criteria."
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