Brits fuming over 'terrifying' Storm Éowyn emergency phone alerts that sparked mass panic

On Thursday, the Government sent an exigency alert to immoderate 4.5 cardinal radical up of the accomplishment of Storm Éowyn - but immoderate radical complained it was 'overkill' and caused panic

Millions of radical successful Scotland received an emergency alert to their mobile phones aft the Met Office issued a reddish information to beingness informing for upwind but Brits were near fuming astatine the 'terrifying' alerts.

The Cabinet Office alert astatine astir 6pm connected Thursday successful effect to Storm Éowyn was the largest real-life usage of the exigency strategy to date. Compatible phones made a large siren-like dependable with the alert sent to 22 assembly areas successful Scotland. It is estimated astir 4.5 cardinal radical received it.

But immoderate radical who received the alert shared their vexation online arsenic they claimed it near pets frightened, sparked panic and repeated loudly into the aboriginal hours of the morning. Last night, 1 wrote connected X, formerly called Twitter: "Did the full of Scotland collectively driblet their phones implicit that truly large exigency upwind alert?"

Another idiosyncratic said: "Still clinging to the ceiling airy aft switching connected my telephone to an exigency alert that adjacent deafened me. Seems a spot similar overkill erstwhile they springiness everyone a bosom onslaught with their alerts."

A dada tweeted: "My autistic girl and her mates each got that exigency alert connected their phones astatine the aforesaid clip and they were each getting successful interaction with america successful a panic. Sometimes I deliberation those successful powerfulness are adjacent much anserine than I deliberation they are but surely that is impossible?"

This morning, idiosyncratic wrote astatine 8am: "Just got woke up by different exigency alert connected my phone." Another added: "Well that utmost alert happening connected the telephone frightened the s***e retired of maine successful the car. Personal telephone and enactment 1 astatine the aforesaid time. Two dogs going mental."

The areas wherever the alert was sent yesterday are: Clackmannanshire; Falkirk; Fife; Stirling; Dumfries & Galloway; East Lothian; Edinburgh; Midlothian Council; Scottish Borders; West Lothian; Argyll and Bute; East Ayrshire; East Dunbartonshire; East Renfrewshire; Glasgow; Inverclyde; North Ayrshire; North Lanarkshire; Renfrewshire; South Ayrshire; South Lanarkshire; and West Dunbartonshire. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: "The Met Office has issued a reddish informing for upwind connected Friday January 24, meaning determination is simply a information to beingness crossed Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland.

"In airy of the deteriorating weather conditions and associated disruption, and successful consultation with the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive, the Cabinet Office volition contented exigency alerts aboriginal this evening to radical affected by the warnings successful Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland. The exigency alert strategy volition nonstop a connection to each compatible mobile telephone successful the areas astatine astir risk, containing accusation astir the upwind warnings and guidance connected however to enactment safe."

Millions of radical person been urged to enactment astatine location during the storm, which brought hurricane-force winds to the UK. Rail services, flights and ferries person been axed, and uncommon reddish upwind warnings are successful spot connected Friday successful Scotland and Northern Ireland, arsenic winds of up to 100mph person swept the country.

The tempest is apt to rip the roofs from buildings, uproot trees and origin powerfulness cuts, according to the Met Office alerts. Hurricane unit winds are those that scope astatine slightest 74mph, according to the Beaufort scale, the Met Office said.

On Friday, astir 20 per cent of each flights scheduled to run to oregon from airports successful the UK oregon Ireland person been cancelled, according to Aviation analytics institution Cirium. A full of 1,070 flights person been cancelled, and Dublin, Edinburgh, Heathrow and Glasgow airports are the worst affected, according to the company.