Millions receive government's emergency test alert over the weekend

Millions of people received the government's alert on Sunday

Millions of people across the UK heard an alarm go off on their phones at 3pm on Sunday.

It was part of a nationwide emergency alert test from the government which could be used to warn people about life threatening situations like fires or flooding in the future.

The alarm lasted for around 10 seconds on 4G and 5G devices and phone users also received a notification on their screens.

It was the first time a nationwide alert like this had been tried the UK and while some elements worked, others didn't go perfectly and a review will be taking place.

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The message that appeared on phones 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 a real 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."

Some smartphones also read out the message aloud to recipients, while phones that were either switched off or on airplane mode did not make the siren like sound.

Emergency alert didn't come through for some

Fans checked their phones during the Newcastle United v Tottenham game on Sunday

Lots of smartphone users reported receiving the alert either one minute earlier or later than planned, and there also people who didn't end up getting the alert at all.

The government confirmed it is aware the 10-second alarm and message notification was not delivered to some mobile phones.

It says it'll be carrying out a review to find out why some smart phones didn't receive the alert.

"We have effectively completed the test of the UK-wide Emergency Alerts system, the biggest public communications exercise of its kind ever done," a UK government spokesman.

"We are working with mobile network operators to review the outcome and any lessons learned."

Lots of people received the message one minute early

Many people on the mobile phone network Three reported that they failed to get the alert on their phones.

"We are aware that a number of customers have not received the test alert," a spokesman for Three said in a statement.

"We are working closely with the government to understand why and ensure it doesn't happen when the system is in use."