In a stark revelation of official contingency planning, the British public would be instructed to use everyday household items like pillowcases, bedsheets, or coffee filters to make water safe to drink during a prolonged, nationwide blackout.
Official Scripts for a National Emergency
The detailed public health guidance is contained in pre-written scripts, prepared for the UK's chief medical officers, including Professor Chris Whitty. These would be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 and Radio 4 if a catastrophic, extended power cut ever occurred. The government maintains such an event is 'very unlikely', but experts argue the public needs to be better prepared.
According to the plans, a nationwide blackout would see every person in the country, except those with back-up generators, lose mains electricity 'instantaneously and possibly without warning'. This would trigger cascading failures, potentially wiping out mobile and internet networks, water supplies, sewage treatment, fuel distribution, and electronic payment systems. The Department of Health warns this would cause 'significant and widespread disruption and risk to health'.
Survival Guidance on Water, Food and Sanitation
With digital communications down, battery or solar-powered radios are highlighted as the most reliable way to receive critical government messages. The advice from the chief medical officers would begin by urging people to listen carefully and write down the instructions.
On water, the public would be told not to waste it and to prioritise it for drinking, handwashing, and food preparation. While cold tap water may initially be safe, a long-running outage could compromise supplies. Alternatives include bottled water, soft drinks, or juice from tinned fruit.
If these run out, households should collect water from rainwater butts, lakes, or reservoirs. The key instruction is to filter this collected water through a clean pillowcase, bedsheet, or coffee filter. It should then be boiled or treated with purification tablets if possible.
For situations where boiling is impossible, the guidance states that regular unscented household bleach can be used to purify water. The advised method is adding roughly a quarter of a teaspoon to every 10 litres of water, letting it stand for 15 minutes, then storing it in a cool, dark place. The script acknowledges this sounds strange but assures the public the advice is scientifically sound.
Practical Steps for Food and Safety
The emergency plans also cover food and nutrition. People would be advised to eat chilled or defrosted food before tinned items and to aim to drink two litres of fluid daily, avoiding alcohol due to its dehydrating effects. In winter, food could be kept outside in a clean, sealed container to preserve it.
Cooking would require alternative methods. Camping stoves or barbecues should only be used outdoors, never inside, due to the fatal risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. The guidance starkly reminds households that toilets will not flush without power, advising them to collect human waste in plastic bags for safe disposal.
This comprehensive advice underscores the severe reality of planning for a worst-case scenario. While the hope is these scripts never need to be aired, their publication highlights the critical importance of emergency preparedness for every UK household.
