Launched in 2023, the alerts warn people of a danger to life in their area.
Testing has seen mobile phones play siren-like sounds with messages displaying on screens.
Now, research from the PA news agency has uncovered when the alerts were almost sent for real.
The most notable of these was the Southport riots in the summer of 2024.
Widespread unrest erupted following the murder of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July of that year.
After the killings, and following online rumours that the perpetrator was a small boat migrant, violent rioting broke out in several locations.
Mosques, community centres, libraries and hotels housing asylum seekers were all targeted.
A recent government analysis found the situation was "largely instigated" by far-right groups.
British-born Axel Rudakubana later admitted to the murders.
According to the information obtained by PA through a Freedom of Information request, the situations "represent 'near misses' where the Cabinet Office has considered the use of the Emergency Alerts capability, which was ultimately stood down".
Another time, the government considered sending every phone in the UK a message was earlier in 2026.
It was thought debris from the Chinese Zhuque-3 space rocket could land on Britain after re-entering the atmosphere.
This was wide of the mark, as the wreckage ended up hitting the water more than 1,000 miles south of New Zealand, near the Antarctic.
The government said they considered the alert "due to the size of the debris, which was larger than usual".
Back in May 2024, an outbreak of the parasite cryptosporidium contaminated tens of thousands of people's drinking water in Devon, with some left requiring hospitalisation
The government considered using the emergency alert to tell them to boil water before using it.
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In September 2025, there were concerns that the Kilroot gas power station in Northern Ireland might have to be shut off as it was nearing its yearly running limit.
Having been told power shortages might be on the cards, the Cabinet Office looked into warning people via their mobiles - but decided against it.
Alerts were also considered for severe weather during Storm Babet in 2025, and during rain and wind in Scotland and the North East of England in 2023.
A government spokesperson said: "As the public rightly expects, the government actively considers how to respond to a wide range of potential events.
"The emergency alerts system is a vital public safety tool designed to be used sparingly. Its activation threshold is very high and strictly reserved for threats to life."
The US rapper has previously been condemned over his antisemitic remarks.
The 48-year-old musician - who has not performed in the UK since he headlined Glastonbury in 2015 - is set to top the bill for all three nights of the festival in London's Finsbury Park in July.
A Pepsi spokesperson said: "Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival."
Diageo, owner of Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan, said on Sunday evening it had also withdrawn.
A spokesperson said: "We have informed the organisers of our concerns and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival."
Sky News has approached festival organisers for a response.
In the time since he last performed on UK soil, West has drawn criticism for antisemitic X posts, a Super Bowl advert directing people to a swastika T-shirt and a song referencing Hitler.
Sir Keir said it was "deeply concerning" that West has been booked "despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism".
"Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted clearly and firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe and secure," the prime minister said.
West, also known as Ye, has been barred from X over antisemitism on multiple occasions.
In January, West took out a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal to apologise, titled: "To Those I've Hurt."
"I am not a Nazi or an antisemite," it said. "I love Jewish people."
West attributed his previous outbursts to his bipolar-1 disorder, writing: "In early 2025, I fell into a four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life.
"I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret."
The rapper also apologised to the black community, saying he had let it down.
West previously lost his deal with Adidas following a post on his social media in 2022, in which he shared an image of a swastika inside a Star of David.
Adidas, which had worked with the rapper on his Yeezy trainers, subsequently donated more than $150m (£117m) to anti-hate groups.
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Shortly afterwards, he drew criticism over a TV advert that directed people to a website selling a swastika t-shirt and released a song titled Heil Hitler.
Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, last week called for the government to ban West from entering the UK.
He said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood should "ban him from coming to this country - we've got to take antisemitism more seriously".
Sky News understands the Home Office is yet to receive an application for West to enter the UK.
The teenager, identified as Noah Campbell, died after a car was involved in a crash with him and two other teenage boys on Friday night in Flitwick.
Two of the boys were riding a bike, and another was on a scooter.
Noah's family said his death "has left a hole in our lives that will remain forever".
In the statement issued by Bedfordshire Police on Sunday, the family said: "Noah was a fun, bright, handsome, athletic and incredibly well-liked boy.
"Above all else, he cherished spending time with his friends and family; they were the heart of his world."
They added: "Noah was a talented and versatile sportsman. While football was his favourite sport - playing for many local teams - he was a gifted all-rounder who excelled in rugby, cricket and athletics. Outside of organised sports, Noah stayed active and adventurous; he loved challenging himself at the gym and spending time at the bike park.
"Some of his happiest memories were made enjoying attending Liverpool FC and Luton Town FC matches alongside his dad.
"We would like to thank everyone for their kind words and support during this incredibly difficult time.
One of the other boys injured in the crash remains in hospital in a serious condition, while the other was treated for serious injuries and has been discharged, police said.
They added a man and a woman have been charged in connection with the crash.
Jamie Fountain, 24, was charged with causing death by careless driving, and an additional charge of causing death by careless driving while over the legal limit for alcohol and drugs.
He was also charged with two counts of causing serious injury by careless driving in relation to two other boys who were injured in the incident, and further charged with failing to stop at the scene of an accident, failing to report an accident and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Ellie Ireland, 23, of Ampthill, has been charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
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They have both been remanded in custody to appear before Luton Magistrates' Court on Monday.
Detective Sergeant Shona Searle, of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire serious collision investigation unit, said: "This incident has sent shockwaves through the small community of Flitwick and the surrounding area, and we maintain a community policing presence around the scene for reassurance.
"While we understand the strong feeling associated with the loss of a young life, and the serious injury of others, we would ask that people do not speculate on the circumstances of the situation.
"The families of the victims, who we are supporting through family liaison officers, have requested that their privacy is respected at this difficult time."
The 100-foot tree fell on four people participating in the event on Sunday morning in woods near the town of Satrupholm.
The baby girl died in hospital, while her 21-year-old mother died at the scene as she was being treated by first responders, as did another 16-year-old girl.
An 18-year-old woman suffered serious injuries and was brought to the hospital by helicopter.
The incident took place as around 50 people from a nearby residential facility for new mothers, pregnant women and children hunted for eggs in the area, which had been under a high winds warning from the German weather service.
Grief counsellors were sent to the scene, where pictures published by the Bild news site showed several Easter eggs scattered on the ground and two of the victims covered in white sheets.
The facility that held the event is part of the state-funded child welfare system and supports pregnant women and new mothers who need help, according to its website.
Two backpacks with "large packages of explosives" were left a few hundred metres from the Balkan Stream pipeline, according to Serbia's president Aleksandar Vucic.
It's an extension of the Turk Stream pipeline that carries gas from Russia under the Black Sea to Turkey.
Mr Vucic said millions could have been cut off if the explosives had detonated.
Mr Orban called an emergency defence council meeting on Sunday and claimed that the explosives were left there as "an act of sabotage".
Without directly blaming Ukraine for the incident on Sunday, Mr Orban said "Ukraine has been for years trying to cut off Europe from Russian energy".
"The Russian section of TurkStream is also under continuous military attack. Ukraine's efforts pose a life-threatening danger to Hungary," he added.
His foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto called it an "attempted terrorist attack", adding it "fits right into the pattern of the Ukrainians' ongoing efforts to disrupt Russian gas and oil supplies to Europe".
Ukraine's foreign ministry strongly rejected the claims, with spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi writing on X: "Ukraine has nothing to do with this. Most probably, [it was] a Russian false-flag operation as part of Moscow's heavy interference in Hungarian elections."
The populist Hungarian prime minister has launched an aggressive anti-Ukraine media campaign ahead of a pivotal election in his country on 12 April, in which he has repeatedly accused Ukraine of seeking to drive up energy prices in Hungary.
Ukraine has always denied the accusations.
The timing of the explosives scare has prompted political scrutiny in Hungary, with Peter Magyar, leader of the opposition Tisza party, saying it appeared to be aimed at boosting Mr Orban's electoral prospects.
"Several people have publicly indicated that something will 'accidentally' happen at the gas pipeline in Serbia at Easter, a week before the Hungarian elections. And so it happened," he said in a statement.
Officials in Budapest and Belgrade have not commented on the incident.
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The prime minister's party is currently behind in the polls, although many people say they are still undecided on who to back.
Mr Orban's latest accusations came as he called an emergency defence council meeting over the explosives on Sunday.
He said he had been informed about the discovery by Mr Vucic in a phone call.
Mr Vucic told reporters: "I just had a talk with Viktor Orban, and informed him that if the gas pipeline had been cut there, Hungary would not have had gas and we in northern Serbia would not have had gas."
Mr Vucic warned anyone trying to destroy Serbia's infrastructure would face a "merciless" response and "harsh and severe punishment".
On Instagram, he said the explosives potentially had "devastating power".
Mr Orban, who is seen as one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies in Europe, increased security around the country's energy infrastructure in February and has framed the election as a choice between war or peace.
The Hungarian leader has often been a thorn in the side of other EU nations and last month blocked a €90bn loan to Ukraine.




