The Snooker World Championship was momentarily paused on Sunday to prevent a government alert from disrupting play. Every UK citizen with a 3G and 4G-capable mobile phone received an alert at 3pm on Sunday afternoon as part of a government test to prepare for future emergencies.
Officials at the World Championship had decided to halt play to prevent as much disruption as possible. Crowds must be silent during matches so they do not disturb the players.
Crucible MC Rob Walker is believed to have asked fans to turn off their mobile phones to prevent disruption. That was the only way to stop the alert from making a siren-like noise on all mobile phones capable of receiving the message.
However, with just under 1,000 inside The Crucible, it was almost impossible to police such a demand. So just before 3pm, play was stopped at the most convenient time in the matches between Jack Lisowski and Anthony McGill and Mark Selby and Gary Wilson.
Deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden told the country it should just go on as normal when they heard the alarm. Dowden hit back at suggestions that the test was an example of nanny statism.
“Keep calm and carry on – that is the British way, and it is exactly what the country will do when they receive this test alert at 3pm today,” Dowden told BBC presenter Laura Kuennsberg on Sunday morning.
He added: “It really is the sound that could save your life. It can be a bit inconvenient and annoying.
“I think, in future, people will be grateful that we tested the system and what I would say is that at 3pm, when this siren – which I should say is about the volume of a phone call going off – goes off, you don’t need to do anything. It is just a test.”
The siren-like emergency sound played on phones at 3pm on Sunday. An accompanying message on devices read: “This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.
“Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information. This is a test. You do not need to take any action.”
The World Snooker Championship is in full swing and all the big names remain in the tournament. Ronnie O’Sullivan, who is trying to win a record eighth world championship, plays his quarter-final against Luca Brecel on Tuesday.
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