Brits urged to stock up on medicine, bottled water and tinned food

The Government is to launch a publicity drive highlighting advice for households about preparing for an emergency. Instructions, on website GOV.UK/PREPARE urge everyone to keep an “emergency kit” at home including a battery or wind-up torch, a portable power bank for charging mobile phone, a battery or wind-up radio to get updates, a first aid kit with bandages sterile dressings and gloves and hand sanisters.

The official advice warns that emergencies “can be caused by severe weather or other natural hazards, by deliberate actions, or as a result of accidents or infrastructure failure. They can be events that happen quickly and are over in a few hours, or they can develop and continue over the course of several days, months, or sometimes even longer.” While it does not provide details of "deliberate actions", this appears to refer to terror attacks or war.

A minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water will be needed per person per day, the Government’s advice states, but 10 litres per person per day is recommended for basic cooking and hygiene need in addition to drinking. It also suggests storing non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables.

The advice states that an emergency kit should include:

• Battery or wind-up torch – torches are safer than candles.
• Portable power bank for charging your mobile phone.
• Battery or wind-up radio to get updates during a power cut – a car radio can be used, however in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside.
• Spare batteries for torches and radio and a backup battery for any medical equipment you rely on.
• A first aid kit (or some first aid items) including items such as waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash solution, sterile dressings and gloves, medical tape for dressings, and tweezers.
• Hand sanitiser and wet wipes for hygiene purposes when the water is off.
• Bottled water – there is no standard figure for this as emergencies can vary in duration and people use different amounts. A minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended by the World Health Organisation for survival. 10 litres per person per day will make you more comfortable by also providing for basic cooking and hygiene needs. Additional water might be needed to make up baby formula, for medical devices and for pets.
• Non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener). As with water, how much you need will vary based on your own circumstances. Don’t forget food for pets.
• Baby supplies such as nappies and baby formula – ready made or ‘ready-to-feed’ formula is best as you may not be able to boil water or sterilise bottles.

Rather than buying all the items at once, householders are advised that they could add to their emergency kit over time.

The warning was issued as part of the Government's new Resilience Action Plan. As part of preparations for an emergency, mobile phones in the UK will be sent a test Emergency Alert at around 15:00 on Sunday 7th September 2025.

The Emergency Alerts system is used to warn if there’s a danger to life nearby, including extreme weather. It allows vital information and advice to be sent to people rapidly in an emergency.

During the test, mobile phones will vibrate and make a loud siren sound for roughly ten seconds, even if they are set to silent. A message will also appear on phone screens, making it clear the alert is only a test. There are approximately 87 million mobile phones in the UK.

The test will be just the second of its kind and follows a government commitment to test the system regularly to make sure it works optimally and familiarise the public with the alerts. This is in line with standard practice in other countries, such as Japan and the USA.

Ahead of the national test, the government will be running a public information campaign to notify people that the test is taking place, including communications targeted at vulnerable groups, such as victims of domestic abuse. The campaign will also feature products in British Sign Language.