UK households will be told to collect their poo in plastic bags if a national power cut goes on long enough to require an emergency 'Black Sky event' broadcast plan to be put into action.
The BBC has revealed it has 'Black Sky event' plans in place which dictate what the national broadcaster will do in case of a full-scale UK emergency in which communications including the internet are shut off for three days or more.
Emergency broadcasting plans
The emergency broadcasting service will have secure lines of communication which are not dependent on internet connections and will have enough water, food and fuel to allow it to operate for three days without any further supplies.
The emergency radio will broadcast what households should do in that situation, including how much food and water people should be drinking and even what to do if water supplies are so disrupted that toilets won't flush.
Among the advice prepared by the Department of Health and Social Care ready to be broadcast in emergency situations is guidance for households to use plastic bags for poo. It means households will need to have at least three days of food, drinking water and plastic bags at home stockpiled in case of long-term national emergencies in future.
Advice for households
The emergency script read out to households over the 'Black Sky event' emergency radio broadcast during a long power cut will say: "You will not be able to flush the toilet. Do not try to in any way as the sewage system will not be working. You should collect your poo in plastic bags, which should be sealed and disposed of with normal household waste, ideally in an outside bin."
It also outlines how households should keep clean without running water. It adds: "While running water is unavailable or in short supply, it is important to keep the majority of water you have for drinking. However, you do need to have some water to wash your hands after using the toilet.
"To make sure you can carry on washing your hands while the power is out, fill a large bowl like a washing up bowl with water and add some soap or a household disinfectant.
"Use this soapy water to wash your hands after using the toilet. Everyone in the house can share this bowl of soap and water to wash their hands the whole time while the power is out, without needing to replace it. I know this might sound unusual, but the water will remain safe for washing your hands throughout the period."
The script will also tell households: "Do not use water for showering or bathing, save it for drinking, handwashing and preparing food.
"Please follow this advice until you hear otherwise to give everyone the best chance of staying as healthy as possible. This advice will be repeated regularly. We will provide more information tomorrow and in the coming days on other water sources you can make safer to drink. And remember, while water supplies are limited use water only for drinking, washing your hands and preparing food."
Government campaign
The plans being made public came after repeated calls from government officials, including Prime Minister Andy Burnham, for the UK to be more prepared for national emergencies such as power cuts, internet and phone blackouts and disruption to food, water or fuel supplies.
Under the new Government campaign, households are being urged to be prepared if everyday services are temporarily disrupted with three days of key supplies.
Households should stockpile at least three days of food and drinking water, according to government advice, and have a battery powered FM radio at home to receive broadcasts such as the BBC's emergency Black Sky event radio station. Three days of drinking water is roughly three litres per day per person, according to the UK's Be Ready advice.
The Government advice marks the first stage of a three-year campaign which aims to make households feel better prepared for disruptive events, such as severe weather, and comes in the wake of heatwaves, drought and fires that hit the UK during the summer.
The steps advised include checking you have essentials such as three days' worth of food and water as well as checking eligibility and signing up for the priority services register for specific support during outages.
A spokesperson for Iceland told BBC Newsnight: "It's clear consumers have listened to the Government's message as we have seen a 40% increase in sales of tinned products over the weekend and strong sales of bottled water too. Our supplies of these products remain healthy."
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told the programme: "It's encouraging that people are taking practical steps to be ready. Having a few everyday essentials at home, from tinned food to torches, helps households prepare for disruption, whether that's flooding, power cuts or burst pipes. We can all play our part in making Britain more resilient."
