There was a bit if a strange moment across the UK yesterday, with mobile phones across the county going off in unison as their government tested out a national security protocol.
It was announced some time ago that 3pm on April 23rd would see them test out their 'emergency alert' system. Essentially, the system is in place to warn the public 'if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby'.
Yesterday was used as a trial run, with phones around the country making a distinct sound at the advertised time.
The moment emergency alert sirens start on phones across the UKhttps://t.co/1o3Hjd9Ru8 pic.twitter.com/zaUXfSngl2
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) April 24, 2023
While this test was well publicised in advance, it did still cause some issues at the World Snooker Championship.
UK's emergency alert affects World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is taking place at the Crucible in Sheffield at the moment, and while event organisers had a plan in place to deal with the emergency alert, the whole thing did not go as smoothly as they would have hoped.
The match between Mark Selby and Gary Wilson has stopped temporarily just before 3pm, meaning the players were not in the middle of taking a shot when the alarm started to ring.
However, it soon became apparent that not all phones would go off at the time time. This resulted in a coupler of awkward moments as they attempted to get the match going once again.
Not once 😅
Not twice 🤨
But three times 😤
🚨 The emergency alert was definitely bringing some disruption to the Crucible @WeAreWST | #WorldSnookerChampionship pic.twitter.com/Fn8plNiTOM— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 23, 2023
It was certainly a unique situation at the Crucible, who usually have a no tolerance policy when it goes to phones going off.
Play would resume eventually, with Selby going on to open up a 10-6 lead over his opponent in their last-16 clash before the end of the session.
Between this alarm and the protests that took place at the event last week, the snooker authorities will be hoping that the rest of the World Championship will run smoothly from this point.
SEE ALSO: Snooker Prodigy Nearly Makes 'Most Incredible Pot In Crucible History'
