Warning to UK households to 'stockpile tins of food' and six other items now
Households should start stockpiling tins of food and other items as soon as possible in order to be prepared for attacks which could affect infrastructure, food supplies and energy. And a former defence minister has called on people to 'wake up and start preparing' now.
Former MP, Tobias Ellwood, who chaired the Defence Select Committee from 2020 to 2023, said that the likelihood of a 'grey zone' attack is a one of the 'real world scenarios we must seriously consider'. He urged householders to be ready for all eventualities including power cuts, internet outages and drone attacks.
Ellwood said that people need to start stockpiling non-perishable tins of food alongside drinking water, iodine tablets and radios.
Writing in PoliticsHome he said: "What if your phone buzzed with a national emergency alert warning of a swarm drone attack en route to your city – where would you go? How would you respond?
'Britain is now facing a surge in grey-zone warfare – deniable, covert attacks aimed at weakening our economy, undermining our infrastructure, and sowing confusion and panic.
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"Russia 's so-called shadow fleet is already mapping the UK's undersea cable networks – those vital arteries that deliver our electricity, gas and data. Autonomous underwater vehicles are criss-crossing the seabed, gathering intelligence.
'This isn't speculation – Russia's ambassador to the UK recently acknowledged that sensors had been placed in British waters, after several devices washed ashore. The Royal Navy is responding, ramping up its ability to detect threats and developing its own unmanned underwater vehicles. But this fight doesn't begin and end with the military," reports The Express.
He urged people to get themselves ready by having these seven key items to hand:
• Clean water (at least 100 litres)
• Non-perishable food (such as tinned food and food that can be eaten cold)
• Candles and a working torch
• A battery-powered radio
• Iodine tablets in case of nuclear fallout
• Cash
• A basic first aid kit
The UK's Prepare website urges households to have a set of emergency supplies at home, including batteries, power banks, radios, bottled water and tinned food.
The UK Government advice says: 'Emergencies happen every day in the UK and across the world. They can be caused by severe weather or other natural hazards, by deliberate actions, or as a result of accidents or infrastructure failure.
"They can be events that happen quickly and are over in a few hours, or they can develop and continue over the course of several days, months, or sometimes even longer.
'Put together an emergency kit of items at home. This could include: Non-perishable food that doesn't need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener). As with water, how much you need will vary based on your own circumstances. Don't forget food for pets.'
It recommends that households slowly build up supplies over time, rather than rush out and grab the items in one go, adding: 'Rather than buying all the items at once, you could just add to your emergency kit when you are able and build it up over time."
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