Southend theatre-goers have been issued advice ahead of the emergency alerts test taking place this weekend.

A UK-wide test of the life-saving public Emergency Alerts system will take place at 3pm on Sunday (April 23).

Messages will be received on 4G and 5G mobile phones, along with sound and vibration for up to 10 seconds.

People receive a message on the home screen of their phones and are told they do not need to take any action for this test.

All phone users need to do is swipe away the message or click "OK" on their phone’s home screen - just like for a "low battery" warning or notification - and continue to use their phone as normal.

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Southend Theatres has reminded visitors to its venues, Cliffs Pavilion and Palace Theatre, that the test will be taking place at 3pm.

A spokesman said: "Please be advised, during your visit to our venue on Sunday April 23 at 3pm there will be a national test of the UK emergency alerts service.

"For more information on this please visit https://www.gov.uk/alerts."

The Government says it has worked together with the emergency services and partners, including the FA and London Marathon, to make sure the national test has minimum impact on major events taking place on the day.