Thousands to receive test emergency phone alert

Thousands of people in Plymouth are set to receive an emergency phone alert as part of an annual Devonport dockyard test.

Plymouth City Council said a text or phone message would be sent to residents at about 15:00 GMT.

The alert will be sent to those who have signed up to the council's emergency notification system, but no action needs to be taken, the council said.

The authority said the alert is used to inform the public in the "unlikely event of a major incident" at the dockyard or at the fuels terminal at Cattedown.

Devonport is the biggest naval base in western Europe, according to the Royal Navy.

The messages are a method of warning and informing the public in the event of a major incident at the dockyard, which is a regulated site overseen by the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

On its website, the council advises residents to keep a list of important contacts close by.

It also advised making a care package, arranging an emergency contact point and tuning into a local radio station.

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