Use more than one route for updates
- Electricity network operator
- Use its website or fault information for the local power cut when your connection works.
- Radio
- A battery or wind-up set can receive broadcasts without your household electricity or internet connection, if a suitable station is still on air and you can receive it.
- Mobile phone
- Official websites and messages are useful while the phone, mobile network and any needed data connection remain available.
- People nearby
- Share confirmed updates with neighbours who may not be able to get online, without treating unverified rumours as instructions.
Set up a simple plan while services work
- Find the official fault route
Identify your electricity network operator and save its fault page. The UK Prepare campaign says 105 is the free power-cut number in England, Wales and Scotland; in Northern Ireland it gives 03457 643643. Keep the relevant number on paper as well as on your phone.
- Check a radio at home
Find a local or national news station that you can actually receive on FM or digital radio. Write down the station name and FM frequency or the DAB station name, then keep the note with the radio. Reception varies by location and by set.
- Keep the power sources ready
Charge your phone and power bank before a forecast disruption. Keep suitable spare radio batteries, or check the wind-up or rechargeable set using its own instructions.
- Agree a household check-in
Put important contacts and an agreed way to check on one another on paper. Include anyone who may have difficulty receiving or understanding an update.
When the power goes off
Check your network operator's current advice if your phone connection works. The UK Prepare campaign directs households to the operator's website to report and track an outage, with a telephone route if online access is unavailable. An estimated restoration time can change, so check for a newer update rather than treating an early estimate as a promise.
If television or internet access is lost, use a battery or wind-up radio to search for stations still broadcasting. UK Prepare advises trying FM and digital modes. Listen for the area and date of a message, because general news may not describe the conditions on your street.
For an incident beyond the power supply, follow current messages from emergency services, local authorities and other relevant public bodies. UK Prepare directs people to official websites, local news and radio for incident-specific information. Do not delay acting on a direct official instruction while waiting for a second channel to repeat it.
What UK Emergency Alerts can and cannot do
GOV.UK says Emergency Alerts are for life-threatening emergencies and reach compatible devices on UK 4G or 5G networks without mobile data or Wi-Fi. A device that is off, incompatible or connected only through Wi-Fi will not receive one, and aeroplane mode may also prevent receipt. The service does not replace local news or radio. If you receive an alert, follow the instructions in it and check the stated official source for further information when you can.
Limits and common mistakes
- A full phone battery does not guarantee mobile coverage or broadband. Parts of a communications network may also lose service during a disruption.
- A radio does not guarantee reception of every local station. Check both the chosen station and the radio at home before you need them.
- A car radio can be another option, but UK Prepare notes that in severe weather it may be safer to stay indoors.
- Treat social media posts and forwarded messages as leads to check against the network operator or a relevant public authority, not as confirmed instructions.
- If someone relies on a landline, telecare device or connected health equipment, ask the service and device providers for a specific power-cut plan. General information routes do not replace that plan.