Residents near Salford's CorpAcq Stadium endured a sleepless night when an emergency message on the tannoy woke them at 3am. The alarm, repeating "emergency, emergency" every fifteen seconds, continued for almost four hours and could be heard up to two miles away.
Residents describe 'torturous' night
Amy Scallan, who lives near the stadium, said people on Facebook in Swinton and Boothstown reported hearing it. She noted that fire alarms there are 'regularly' tested, adding: "How loud it is depends on the time of year, the wind direction, the time of day. But in the middle of the night there's no traffic to mask it. Last night was the worst - the longest it's ever gone off."
The alarm woke her at around 3.10am. "To hear that in the middle of the night, I thought, what is happening?" she said. "I tried to nod off back to sleep but it kept going, sounding every fifteen seconds or so. It was saying 'emergency, emergency, a fire has been reported in the building, please leave by the nearest exit, do not use the lifts'."
Alarm began just after 3am
The alarm began blaring just after 3am on Friday morning (October 2). Scallan said it was so loud that it stopped her from falling back asleep all night. "It was torturous," she said. "I cannot believe that at a stadium of such stature, nobody knew the alarm had been activated. I find it bizarre. Errors happen, systems fail, I get it. But for it to go on all night? It must have a silence button. Somebody somewhere must have known it was going off. If it had been a real fire, it would have burned to the ground."
Allan Grisdale, who lives on the 'other side of Monton' near Salford Royal Hospital, was also woken by it. "It kept me and my neighbours up all night," he said. "At first I thought I was hearing things. Everybody on Facebook was complaining. I'm absolutely knackered today. I thought it would stop and it just didn't. Is there nobody on call that is notified? Does it have to go on for that long?"
Council contacted for comment
Salford City Council, which took control of the stadium in 2024, has been contacted for comment.
