An emergency warning system, showing alerts about severe weather and other life-threatening events to be sent to mobile phones, will go live in October in England, Scotland and Wales. The BBC reports the messages will be sent automatically to any smartphone which is switched on, although it is possible to opt out by changing a mobile phone setting.
Trials of the alerts were held in Reading and East Suffolk this year. A Government publicity campaign will begin in September, and every phone in England, Scotland and Wales, will receive a "welcome message" in October.
The system will eventually cover the whole of the UK, says the Government. The alerts will give localised warnings of flooding, fires, extreme weather and public health emergencies.
