Downing Street today urged the public not to turn off emergency alerts on their phones, following criticism of the government’s use of the system to warn of bushfires.
Millions of Britons received messages on Friday night urging them not to light anything that could start a bushfire, including disposable barbecues and fireworks.
It came as fears grew of further devastating fires, with Britain continuing to suffer tinderbox conditions from this summer’s heatwaves.
But the government’s use of the emergency alert system has been criticized by some as unnecessary, with ministers told they risked becoming a ‘crying wolf’.
There were also questions about whether the ‘immediate danger to life’ threshold had been met when using the system to provide a general warning about bushfires.
Nick Ross, the chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council board, said the use of emergency alerts was “not appropriate” on Friday.
The former Crimewatch presenter also revealed he almost crashed his car when he received the ‘extraordinary noise’ on his phone.
‘Personally I don’t think it’s appropriate to use that. That’s a big stick for this,” he told Times Radio.
Millions of Brits received messages on Friday night urging them not to light anything that could start a wildfire, including disposable barbecues and fireworks
Firefighters are pictured trying to control a bushfire in the fields of Flinton Hill Farm, near Herrington Country Park, in Sunderland yesterday
He continued, “I almost crashed my car. I remember driving past and suddenly the special sound sounded.’
‘I had no idea what was going on. I think these kinds of things are meant for an immediate emergency. That’s not true, this is a chronic thing.
‘That warning could have come at any time. So I think we have to be very careful about using it too much or people will cry.”
But Mr Ross added, speaking in an ‘official capacity’, that it was ‘entirely appropriate’ to warn of the risk of bushfires across Britain.
“The fire risk in Britain is enormous,” he said. ‘As a society we are not good at protecting ourselves against what we consider minor risks, even if the consequences are major.
‘And you only have to look at what has happened in Spain and France to realize how catastrophic forest fires can be.
‘We don’t have the tanker planes that they use to put out these big fires. So yes, in a sense we need urgent warning.’
Downing Street today defended the use of the emergency alert system.
A spokesperson for No10 told reporters: ‘On Friday alone, when that alert was issued, crews were tackling 43 bushfires across the country and had reported 11 major incidents, stretching resources to the limit and requiring military support, as we announced that day.
“We made the decision to deploy the system following a direct request from fire and rescue services on the front line of the fight against wildfires.”
Asked about the possibility of people being able to switch off emergency alerts on their phones after using the system on Friday, the spokeswoman added: ‘The emergency alert system is intended to provide life-saving advice and we would encourage people to use it.’
Housing Minister Angela Rayner today met emergency services battling the house-destroying fires in Stourbridge at the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service headquarters
Mrs Rayner was seen walking among the shells of houses on Quarry Park Road, Stourbridge, after the massive fire that destroyed 19 homes
Phil Garrigan, chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council, praised a “fantastic” response to the use of emergency warnings on Friday but urged Britons to remain “vigilant” about the risk of bushfires.
He said: ‘This has undoubtedly been an incredibly difficult period for fire and rescue services, but we are starting to see the number of incidents decrease and that is welcome news.
‘I would like to pay tribute to the exceptional dedication and professionalism of firefighters, fire control room teams and everyone supporting the response behind the scenes.
“For weeks they have worked tirelessly in exceptionally challenging conditions, often responding to multiple incidents simultaneously, to protect lives, homes, businesses and our natural environment.
‘It was also fantastic to see how the public responded to Friday’s emergency alert and the support they showed for local fire and rescue services.
‘People have listened to the advice, taken sensible precautions and helped reduce the risk of further fires at a time when emergency services are under enormous pressure.
‘But we haven’t figured it out yet. Conditions remain exceptionally dry in many parts of the country and it only takes one spark to start a serious wildfire.
“We have seen first-hand the devastating impact these fires can have on communities, wildlife and property. I would therefore urge everyone to remain vigilant, continue to follow public safety advice and avoid any activity that could cause a fire.”
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner today visited the burnt-out remains of homes in the West Midlands that were destroyed by a bushfire last week.
She was seen walking among the shells of houses on Quarry Park Road, Stourbridge, after the massive fire that destroyed 19 homes.
Ms Rayner said the devastation from bushfires was ‘absolutely terrible’ and praised the local community for its response.
She added: “The community was exceptional and looked out for each other.
“The emergency services, the police, the fire brigade, the ambulance service, the council, the local MP, Cat (Eccles) here, and the community have come together to really support each other.
“But it is devastating to see the extent of the damage and the emotional turmoil that comes with losing everything, and that is what these families have experienced.”
Ms Rayner continued: “We are seeing a pattern here with the bushfires. We see a pattern with the climate.
‘We’ve introduced £100m of extra equipment and we now have specialist fire crews looking at bushfires, and they’ve been put under pressure by what’s happened.’
The Stourbridge fire is among several fires to hit Britain in the past week.
Other fires have raged across South Wales, in the New Forest and in the Cairngorms in Scotland.
Temperatures are expected to cool and rain will fall in some areas in the coming days, but extreme heat is expected to return after that.
So far in 2026, a total of 1,132 bushfires have been recorded in England and Wales.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who was a minister when the emergency alert system was set up, said the message sent on Friday was a “misuse of the system for the purpose of political display”.
He added: ‘This is the equivalent of crying wolf – people won’t take it so seriously in the future, and others may try to disable the feature.
“Either way, using the warning system in this way has undermined its usefulness in a truly imminent future emergency.”
Fellow Tory frontbencher Alex Burghart, the shadow cabinet minister, also criticized the decision to issue a warning, insisting there would have to be ‘an immediate danger to life’ before it is used.
“Tonight’s use at the national level clearly does not meet that threshold and opens the door for future abuse of the system,” he wrote on X on Friday evening.
