An official Cabinet Office report warned that overusing emergency phone alerts would undermine confidence in the system.
Sirens blared out unexpectedly on millions of mobile phones across the country at 7pm on Friday, warning the public against lighting anything that could cause a wildfire, such as barbecues, firepits and fireworks.
Louise Haigh, head of the Cabinet Office, is understood to have approved the alert, which led to panicked Britons jamming 999 lines and startled drivers swerving across motorways.
But the decision was widely criticised, with the Conservatives insisting the system was only intended to be used in cases where there was an imminent, direct and mainly localised threat to life.
Nick Ross, the chairman of the board of trustees of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), also condemned the move - and said he nearly crashed his car when his phone started ringing.
'Personally, I don't think it was appropriate to use that. That is a big cudgel for this,' he told Times Radio. 'I nearly crashed my car. I remember driving along, all of a sudden, wow, wow, wow, this extraordinary sound went off.'
The Government said the decision met the necessary threshold and followed a direct request from emergency services battling wildfires.
However, a 2014 Cabinet Office report explicitly warned against its use for 'lower level' incidents for fear of creating a 'cry wolf' effect, in which phone users either disabled or ignored the alert in cases of genuine emergency.
The document, drawn up by the Coalition Government, said: 'Responders agreed that the system would lose its impact if it was used too regularly... It should not be used too frequently and only for the most serious of emergencies, or recipients may become complacent.'
It continued: 'It was agreed for example that communications for incidents such as lower level disorder would be dealt with using other channels.
'It was also felt that the system must not be used for providing general information about emergencies or for reminders of payment for council tax, school closures etc.'
Louise Haigh signed off on a nationwide emergency alert that startled millions of people across the country
Millions of people received this alert last night as people were warned not to light anything that could spark a fire
The report also expressed concern about 'the potential impact of miscommunication through distorted information and lack of action due to miscommunication, for example a 'cry wolf' scenario'.
In a press release published shortly before Friday's alert, Ms Haigh said: 'In response to the continued risk posed by wildfires, the Government has taken the decision to issue an Emergency Alert to England and Wales.
'This is the most extensive use of the UK's Emergency Alert system in response to an active incident, and reflects the seriousness with which the Government is acting to safeguard people and property.'
The Government had initially considered sending a targeted alert to the areas which were most affected or at risk of wildfires.
However, by the afternoon, Ms Haigh's department decided to release the alert across the country following calls from the Fire and Rescue Service.
But the plea from fire chiefs soon came back to haunt them as emergency switchboards became overloaded by members of the public accusing their neighbours of having a barbecue.
A spokesman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said: 'Whilst it's reassuring to see that people are taking yesterday's emergency alert about disposable BBQs seriously, we'd ask that you only call 999 if there is an immediate risk to life or property, for example if fire is spreading or is uncontrolled.'
Frustrated cinema–goers and broadcasters added to the complaints about the disruption, while there was confusion across Wales after the alert was sent out in Welsh – despite only a quarter of the country speaking it.
Some residents received the message four times – twice in Welsh and twice in English.
Domestic abuse charities also expressed concerns about the unplanned alerts, as it could have risked exposing secret phones used by victims.
The alert also caused chaos to live television shows, including The One Show's 20th anniversary special.
Hosts Alex Jones and Roman Kemp were left stunned as alerts began to ring throughout the studio.
Jones, 49, who clearly did not know the alarm would be issued, said: 'You couldn't make that up could you.
'I think that's the fire alarm...I'm doing my best to keep a straight face. But we continue,' while her co–host Roman Kemp, 33, looked equally as confused.
The One Show's 20th anniversary special was interrupted on Friday night by the government's emergency wildfire alert
The alarms also disrupted hosts on Sky Sports News and the BBC Proms on Radio 3.
One unlikely benefit of the disruptive alerts was that dozens of prisoners had their hidden mobile phones seized after the loud noises blared out from inside their cells on Friday evening.
Phones were seized from inmates in Frankland in County Durham as well as at Feltham and Belmarsh in London.
An insider told The Sun on Sunday: 'Governors are laughing about it because so many have been caught with phones after the alert. It took prisoners by surprise and loads of their phones went off really loudly in cells and other areas.
'Loads were caught red–handed and it also provided loads of intelligence about where phones were.
'Prisoners can't really get rid of them and, when there were more staff on, officers started spinning cells to find ones that had gone off.'
The Prime Minister appointed the convicted fraudster to her powerful role, as well as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, after she masterminded his victory in the Makerfield by–election in June.
Her position in the higher echelons of Mr Burnham's administration comes less than two years after she was forced to resign from former PM Keir Starmer's Cabinet.
This followed the revelation that she had been convicted of fraud during her twenties, with Ms Haigh quitting after just four months as transport secretary under Sir Keir.
She admitted to misleading police after wrongly telling officers her work phone had been stolen when she had been 'mugged while on a night out' in 2013 – before later finding it at home.
Mr Burnham said on Friday: 'This evening, an emergency alert has been sent to people across England and Wales as the wildfire risk remains very high.
'The request came directly from fire and rescue services... During this period of extreme heat, I'm asking everyone to take extra care.
'Please do not light any fires in gardens, the countryside or other open spaces, including parks, moorland and wooded areas.'
A Conservative source told the Daily Mail: 'It was designed for terrorist attacks, not to tell people how to cook their sausages.'
One woman swerved across three lanes while an elderly man pulled over onto the hard shoulder near Chorley, she said.
Ashkan Kalashy was driving on a single carriageway in west Wales with his two sisters and nephew when the alert went off as he was making a sharp turn.
'I almost lost control of the car,' he told The Mail on Sunday. 'If I wasn't more careful I might have crashed.
'Three phones were going off at different times – and during the first time in unison. It sounded like Armageddon was happening.'
Stephen Pollard, a former editor of the Jewish Chronicle, who was driving when the alert sounded, said: 'I wasn't able to pull over and so wasn't able to see what was causing a noise so loud it made me nearly crash with the shock.
'What a ludicrous use of the national alert system.'
Edmund King, president of the AA, said that motorists should only look at messages if they have found a 'safe and legal place to pull over'.
Former Treasury adviser James Gillespie, who was watching a horror film in a cinema in central London when a wave of the alerts went off, said: 'I don't think there is any good reason to be sending repeated alerts about wildfires to every iPhone in Central London.
'I've lived until recently in California where they have regular natural hazards and I've never experienced anything like this where it is so repetitive.
'If the aim was to devalue the system and encourage people to opt out of emergency alerts, this was absolutely the way to do it.'
Farcically, just hours after the alert sounded, a huge fireworks display was held at Wembley Stadium during a performance by Canadian singer The Weeknd.
The stadium said the display was a 'controlled performance' and a team of fire safety experts was on site for every event.
A Government spokesman said: 'The Government took the decision to use the system after a direct request from fire and rescue services on the front line of the fight against wildfires.
'On Friday alone, crews were tackling 43 wildfires across the country and had declared 11 major incidents, stretching resources to the very limit and requiring military support.
'The scenes in Stourbridge show the devastating impact wildfires can have and we urge everyone to follow fire safety advice to help protect people and property.'
All the times Emergency Alerts have gone WRONG
Over the last few years, there have been several incidents in which emergency alert systems have gone wrong.
1. Fake nuclear missile alert in Hawaii, 2018
On the morning of 13 January 2018, people across Hawaii received an Emergency Alert that read: 'BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL'.
On the H–3, a major highway north of Honolulu, vehicles sat empty after drivers left them to run to a nearby tunnel after the alert showed up.
Fearing a nuclear attack, terrified residents and tourists even flocked to shelters and into their garages.
The false alarm was caused by a Hawaii Emergency Management Agency employee who 'pushed the wrong buttons' during an internal drill timed to coincide with a shift handover at 8.07am.
The mistake was corrected by government agencies on Twitter (now X) 12 minutes later. However, it took 38 minutes for another phone alert to be issued confirming to residents that it was a false alarm.
Experts explained that there was no template in the system for an alert retraction, and so the all–clear message had to be manually entered and activated.
'I deeply apologize for the trouble and heartbreak that we caused today,' said Vern Miyagi, Administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.
'We've spent the last few months trying to get ahead of this whole threat, so that we could provide as much notification and preparation to the public. We made a mistake.'
On 13 January 2018, people across Hawaii received an Emergency Alert that read: 'BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL'
2. Evacuation warning sent county–wide during the Los Angeles wildfires, 2025
In January 2025, chaos was sparked across Los Angeles County as 9.6 million residents were wrongly told to evacuate wildfires.
The entire population was mistakenly told to leave in an alert intended for West Hills area.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn took to X shortly after the notification went out, stating that it 'was mistakenly issued,' and was actually meant for the areas 'impacted by the Kenneth Fire in Woodland Hills.'
'I have been informed the evacuation warning that many of us just received on our phones was mistakenly issued countywide due to a technical error. A correction will be issued shortly,' she wrote.
Many were left furious by the disastrous mistake, and quickly fired back at Hahn in the comments.
'Your failures will be remembered in history textbooks. Resign. This is going to get people killed,' one wrote.
'Thanks for freaking out all of Los Angeles County. Didn't need this while all of us and family are on edge already,' said another.
Another user commented: 'You incompetent buffoons.'
3. Emergency alert sirens hacked in Dallas, 2017
In April 2017, Dallas' emergency siren system was hacked, causing sirens to blast out for 1.5 hours in the middle of the night.
Hackers took over all 156 of the city's sirens, which are usually used to alert people to shelter indoors during severe weather.
The incident led to a surge in calls to 911, with many residents left shaken.
Rocky Vaz, who headed the city's Office of Emergency Management, said his office eventually had to shut down the system.
'We shut it down as quickly as we could, taking into consideration all of the precautions and protocols we had to take to make sure that we were not compromising our 156 siren system,' he said.
In 2023, Brits on the Three network were left baffled after they did not receive an emergency alert test from the UK government
4. Three customers fail to receive UK alert, 2023
In 2023, Brits on the Three network were left baffled after they did not receive an emergency alert test from the UK government.
Tens of millions of phones across the UK emitted the 10–second siren, which was accompanied by a message which popped up, explaining that it was a test and people did not need to take any action.
However, Three customers reported they did not receive any alert – while others received it too early.
What appears to have happened is a configuration error on the Three network.
While most networks repeated the alert at regular intervals to ensure it was picked up by all phones, Three sent it out just once at 3pm – meaning only phones that were actively connected at that time received it.