An urgent warning has been issued ahead of this weekend about an emergency 'Armageddon alert' that will go off on certain phones in Ireland.
People travelling near border counties may receive a new UK Emergency Alert system that will be tested on Sunday.
The message will be sent to all mobile phones and devices across Britain and the North.
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A loud alarm will go off on phones, which may also vibrate and flash. It will be issued between 3pm and 4pm on Sunday and is for testing purposes only.
Members of the public do not need to take any action.
Mobile phone users near border areas in Ireland who roam onto a UK mobile phone network may receive the alert. Mobile phone customers on networks based in Ireland will not receive the message.
The Road Safety Authority is advising road users who may be travelling in border counties to be aware of the alert, issuing the following advice:
- Road users are advised of the following advice if they get the alert while travelling this coming Sunday:
- Do not be alarmed or startled if your phone makes a loud alarm sound, vibrates and flashes to flag the incoming test message.
- Do not read or otherwise respond to an emergency alert while driving or riding a motorcycle.
- If driving, continue to drive and do not respond to the noise or attempt to pick up the mobile phone and deal with the message.
Drivers are reminded never to use their mobile phones while driving. You either turn it off, switch it to airplane mode, put it on silent or simply put it out of sight.
A spokesperson said: “In a real-time emergency, you should find somewhere safe and legal to pull over and read the message. If that is not possible, drivers can tune into live radio and wait for bulletins until they can pull over safely.
“However, this alert across Britain and Northern Ireland on Sunday is simply for testing purposes so road users should ignore the message and carry on with their journey.”
The UK-wide test coincides with major events including the London Marathon and 2pm Premier League matches.
Similar alerts are already in use in countries like the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan to warn of danger such as severe weather events.
In the UK, alerts are expected to be used in incidents such as wildfires or severe flooding.
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