The national test of the UK Emergency Alerts service conducted by the Government got a mixed response from people in Swindon.

People in Swindon reported being startled as the emergency alert went off at 3pm on Sunday and rang like a siren on their phones.

One resident said on Facebook, “Despite knowing about it it still made me jump out of my skin! It went off at one minute to 3pm and 3.03pm on my husband's phone!”

Another added, “I was just about to start work. At 14:59, my phone, my two colleagues and a few customers were inside the shop went off in tandem. It made us jump!"

The system was introduced by the government to contact residents in the case of a life-threatening emergency. It will be used in future to warn people about dangerous situations, such as wildfires, floods or during terror attacks.

Similar emergency alert systems are already in use successfully in a number of countries including the US, Canada and Japan where the systems have been widely credited with saving lives.

But reactions to the signal were mixed.

Some people were incredibly confused, with one person saying on social media, “[it] was so loud I was in the car park wondering what was going on.” Other residents reported not receiving the alert at all. 

A missed alert has been found to either be down to phone connection, specifically lack of connection to 4G or 5G or being connected to the Three network.

A phone could also have the emergency alert settings switched off in its settings, meaning the alert will not reach the device. 

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden reassured people they should not be concerned and will be able to "keep calm and carry on" with their day after getting the test alert on their devices. "It really is the sound that could save your life," he added.