An emergency alert test that will cause thousands of phones to sound and vibrate will go ahead this weekend in the North East.

Set to take place this Sunday (April 23) at 3pm, mobile phone users will see a message on their home screen that will audibly alert and vibrate for ten seconds.

Organised by the Government, the system eventually be used to alert the population of targeted areas about life-threatening weather or when there is a “risk to life”.

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Members of the public are now being urged not to panic at the time of the test and can swipe away the notification to use their phone as normal.

Carol Botten, CEO of the Voluntary Organisations’ Network North East, said: “We have over 1,300 members and have been sharing communications about the Emergency Alerts system through our extended network of over 15,000 organisations.

“The Emergency Alerts system will be useful as it will enable the sector to quickly mobilise to provide support to people and communities at a local, regional or national level as required.”

Similar alerts are already in place in other first world countries including the US and Canada.

If successful, the alert system would be in place for weather events like the 2012 North East floods in North Tyneside that saw homes being evacuated.

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Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden MP, has affirmed the alerts will be used rarely and the public should not expect another alert for months or years.

He said: “Getting this system operational means we have a vital tool to keep the public safe in life-threatening emergencies. It could be the sound that saves your life.

“The system will be used very rarely - only being sent where there is an immediate risk to people’s lives - so people may not receive an alert for months or years.”