The British government tested a new alert system to warn the public in emergency situations such as fires, floods, or in the event of a danger of death, and the siren sounded on mobile phones Sunday at 15:00 local time.

This alert system launched by the government is inspired by existing systems in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan.

And it will allow messages to be sent to mobile phones to warn quickly in the event of imminent danger. The government confirmed that the system would be used exceptionally.

"Wherever you are, Sunday at 15:00 (1400 GMT) you will receive an emergency alert," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wrote on Twitter Saturday. "You will receive a message on the mobile screen with sound and vibration for a maximum of ten seconds and you will not have to take any action," he added.

The beep lasted for a few seconds.

"Keep calm and carry on," the government said in response to the criticism, using the famous British slogan during World War II. "It's just a test."

"Who of a genius thought it was a good idea to panic the country on Sunday at 15:00?" the Daily Mail wrote on Tuesday.

Drivers were asked to refrain from picking up their phones during the test, and people who didn't want to receive alerts could turn them off in their device settings.

And London theaters asked the audience to turn off their phones so that the alarm does not sound during the performance.

And Judy Edworthy, an international expert in alarm systems and a professor of psychology at Plymouth University (southern England), saw the alert system as a positive development, even if its use for the first time may raise eyebrows.

"If people look at their phones and see the message and act on it, we can say it was a successful experiment," she told the British PA agency before the test.