Siren alert for national phone test

MILLIONS of phones will sound in unison when the Emergency Alert system is tested for the second time next Sunday.

- By Jonathan Walker

It will take place at around 3pm in what the Government calls “one of the largest public safety exercises of its kind”.

Phones will vibrate and emit a siren-like tone for 10 seconds, with a message appearing on screens to make clear that the alert is only a drill.

The timing has been chosen by emergency planners to minimise disruption to work and school routines.