The UK Government carried out testing of the UK Emergency Alerts system across the UK in 2023 and more recently during the summer of 2025. The messages were clearly labelled as a test.
The alert said: “This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby. In an actual emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe. Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information. This is a test. You do not need to take any action.”