Downing Street urges people not to turn off emergency alerts on their phones - as even fire boss questions Friday's use of system and reveals it almost made him crash his car

By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 15:07, 17 August 2026 | Updated: 15:11, 17 August 2026 Downing Street today urged people not to turn off emergency alerts on their phones amid criticism of the Government's use of the system to warn about wildfires. Millions of people received messages on Friday evening urging them not to light anything that could spark a wildfire, including disposable barbecues and fireworks. It came amid fears of more devastating blazes as Britain continues to experience 'tinderbox' conditions due to this summer's heatwaves. But the use of the emergency alerts system by the Government has been criticised by some as unnecessary, with ministers told they risked 'crying wolf'. There were also questions over whether an 'immediate risk to life' threshold had been met in the use of the system to issue a general warning about wildfires. Nick Ross, the chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council board of trustees, said Friday's use of emergency alerts was 'not appropriate'. The former Crimewatch presenter also revealed he nearly crashed his car when he received the 'extraordinary sound' on his phone. 'Personally, I don't think it was appropriate to use that. That is a big cudgel for this,' he told Times Radio. Millions of people received messages on Friday evening urging them not to light anything that could spark a wildfire, including disposable barbecues and fireworks Firefighters are pictured attempting to control a wildfire blaze on fields at Flinton Hill Farm, close to Herrington Country Park, in Sunderland on Sunday He continued: 'I nearly crashed my car. I remember driving along, all of a sudden, wow, wow, wow, this extraordinary sound went off.' 'I had no idea what was going on. This is the sort of thing that I think is for an acute emergency. It's not, this is a chronic thing. 'That warning could have come any day, any time. So I think we've got to be very careful about overusing that, otherwise people will cry wolf.' But Mr Ross added, speaking in an 'official capacity', that it was 'entirely appropriate' to warn about the risk of wildfires across Britain. 'Fire risk in Britain is enormous,' he said. 'We are, as a society, not good at protecting ourselves from what we regard as small risks, even though the consequences are vast. 'And you only need to look at what's happened in Spain and in France to recognise just how catastrophic wildfires can be. 'We don't have the tanker aircraft that they do to put out these big fires. So yes, in one sense, we desperately need to be warned.' Downing Street on Monday defended the use of the emergency alerts system. A No10 spokeswoman told reporters: 'On Friday alone, when that alert was issued, crews were tackling 43 wildfires across the country and had declared 11 major incidents, which stretched resources to the very limit and required military support, as we announced on the day. 'We took the decision to use the system after a direct request from fire and rescue services, on the front line of the fight against wildfires.' Asked about the possibility of people disabling emergency alerts on their phones in the wake of Friday's use of the system, the spokeswoman added: 'The emergency alert system is in place to communicate life-saving advice, and we would encourage people to use it.' Phil Garrigan, chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council, hailed a 'fantastic' response to Friday's use of emergency alerts but urged Britons to remain 'vigilant' over the risk of wildfires. 'This has undoubtedly been an incredibly tough period for fire and rescue services, but we are beginning to see incident numbers reduce and that is welcome news,' he said. 'I want to pay tribute to the outstanding dedication and professionalism of firefighters, fire control room teams and all those 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 has also been fantastic to see how the public have responded following Friday's emergency alert and the support they have shown their 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 have been under immense pressure. 'But we are not out of this 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 consequences these fires can have for communities, wildlife and property. I would therefore urge everyone to remain vigilant, continue to follow public safety advice and avoid any activity that could start a fire.' Angela Rayner, the Housing Secretary, on Monday visited the burnt-out remains of homes in the West Midlands gutted by a wildfire last week. She could be seen walking among the shells of houses at Quarry Park Road, Stourbridge, following the huge blaze which destroyed 19 homes. The Stourbridge fire is among a host of blazes which have ripped across Britain over the last week. Other fires have raged across South Wales, in the New Forest, and in the Cairngorms in Scotland. Temperatures are set to cool, and rain is set to fall in some areas in coming days, but extreme heat is expected to return after that. A total of 1,132 wildfires have now been recorded across England and Wales in 2026 so far.  Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, who was a government minister when the emergency alerts system was set up, said the message sent on Friday was an 'abuse of the system for the purpose of political posturing'. He added: 'This is the equivalent of crying wolf – people won't take it as seriously in the future, and others may seek to disable the feature. 'Either way, using the alert system in this way has undermined its usefulness in a real imminent future emergency.' Fellow Tory frontbencher Alex Burghart, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, also criticised the decision to send out an alert, highlighting that 'an immediate risk to life' should exist before it is used. 'Tonight's use at a national level clearly doesn't hit that threshold and opens the door to future misuse of the system,' he wrote on X on Friday evening.