The Cabinet Office has issued new advice encouraging UK households to keep a supply of coins and notes at home as part of preparations for national emergencies. The guidance, published on Thursday, recommends that people stock up on essentials including bottled water and three days of food.
The advice is part of a three-year campaign to help households feel better prepared for events such as severe weather, which can occasionally disrupt services including power, water, phones and the internet. It follows the unprecedented heatwaves that affected the country this summer, as well as storms last winter and wildfires this summer, which the Cabinet Office said showed how severe weather can cause disruption to everyday life.
Government's wartime scenario warning
The new guidance builds on a government announcement in 2025 that the UK must actively prepare for a ‘wartime scenario’ on British soil ‘for the first time in many years’. This week, the Cabinet Office said households are being encouraged to ‘take a few simple steps’ to stay prepared if everyday services are temporarily disrupted.
The Cabinet Office said: “With storms last winter and the wildfires this summer showing how severe weather events can cause disruption to our everyday lives and impact the services we rely on, from phone signal to water and the internet, launching the campaign brings the UK into line with European peers who all run similar campaigns already.”
What the UK Be Ready website advises
The government’s UK Be Ready website, linked to the information, provides a list of advice for all households to follow. The site says: “Being ready for 3 days helps you manage while support reaches those most in need.” It adds: “Doing this is easier than you might think. You could have some of the items at home already. You don’t need to do it all at once. Build up your readiness gradually over time by taking it step by step, and picking up an extra item or two when you can.”
On stockpiling money, the site advises: “Cash (mix of coins and notes) and cards in case electronic payments or ATMs are disrupted. The amount of cash you should keep depends on your family’s specific needs for essentials.” It also recommends having printed copies of important documents such as passports, birth certificates, insurance policy details and instructions for any medical equipment, as well as writing down contact details of who to contact in an emergency and a list of any regular medication and doses.
