The 'one thing' to know without a phone is your route home: Be Ready advice, not a new warning

What the advice actually says

The line behind the headlines is on the government's Be Ready page about phone and broadband outages. It reads: "If you are regularly away from home for work or travel, it can help to plan how you would manage without your phone. Think through how you would get home without relying on mobile apps. Know your usual route, but also be aware of at least one alternative, such as a different train line, bus route or road."

The next lines go with it. Be Ready suggests you download or print maps so you can find your way without internet access, noting that your smartphone's GPS may still work with no signal, but map apps need maps downloaded in advance to show routes. It also suggests agreeing a meeting point with family members in case you cannot contact each other for a while, somewhere easy to find and open to the public, or a family member's home.

A line of advice, not a new warning

The headlines call this a government warning. It is part of the Be Ready website, which the Cabinet Office launched on 22 October as the first stage of a three-year campaign to help households prepare for events such as severe weather, which can occasionally affect power, water, phones and the internet. It is not a new announcement this week, and there is no alert about a particular outage.

The page itself is measured. It says communication providers are required by law to make their services resilient, and that outages are usually short or localised, though after severe weather disruption can last a number of days. Our explainer of the Be Ready checklist covers the rest of the campaign.

Why a power cut can take your phone with it

The route-home line sits on the phone outage page, but the two often go together. Be Ready's power-cut page says your home internet won't work without power, and your mobile phone might stop working if your local mast is in the affected area. It also says the mobile network may still work for a while in some areas with backup power.

Landlines depend on the type of line. GOV.UK's guidance on the switch to digital landlines says an old analogue line can power a basic corded handset from the exchange, so it keeps working in a local power cut as long as the exchange has power. Digital landlines cannot carry power, so they will not work in a power cut without a backup such as a battery. For most customers the switch is expected to be complete by January 2027; our guide to the digital switchover has more.

If you rely on a landline for emergency calls, or have a telecare alarm connected to it, Be Ready says to ask your landline provider whether it will work in a power cut. Providers must offer vulnerable customers, such as telecare users, a free backup battery unit that keeps the landline working for at least an hour.

What to have ready, on paper

Be Ready asks for a few things that work with no phone, no internet and no mains power. A paper copy of important phone numbers: family, neighbours, your doctor and utilities, and the number to report a power cut, which is 105 in England, Scotland and Wales and 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland. Write down the frequencies of the radio stations you use for news too.

A battery or wind-up FM radio with spare batteries, because updates may be given on the radio during an outage; our guide to radios for a power cut explains what to look for. A small amount of cash, in case electronic payments or cash machines stop working. And a charged power bank for your phone.

Keep the notes with your torch or radio, somewhere easy to find in the dark. Be Ready's printable household emergency plan has spaces for contact numbers, a meeting point and medicines, and our household emergency plan guide walks through it.

If you need help and can't get through

If you cannot reach 999 or 112, Be Ready says to try both a mobile and a landline, because if one is down the other may work, and emergency calls from mobiles automatically connect to any available mobile network. In a power cut you might pick up signal from a nearby area that is unaffected.

If you still cannot get through, and it is safe to do so, it says to seek help directly from emergency responders or go to your nearest police station, fire station, ambulance station or hospital. For everyday contact, it suggests messages may work when calls do not, that public Wi-Fi may still be available, and that moving a short distance can sometimes improve signal.

Agree it now with anyone who might need help

The advice that takes most thought is about people, not kit. Be Ready suggests agreeing with anyone who might need extra support, particularly people who live alone, that if there is an outage and you cannot contact them, you will go to their home. You can also ask their neighbours to check on them.

For children, it suggests helping them learn their home address and, if possible, a parent's mobile number. If you are eligible, signing up to the Priority Services Register lets your energy and water companies know you need extra help when supplies are interrupted. Our power cuts tracker shows where the power is off now.