They are normally the focus of nothing more dramatic than the swapping of unwanted household items or complaints about a dog barking all night.
But neighbourhood WhatsApp groups could one day be at the front line of the UK’s home guard if the country goes to war, it has emerged.
Official advice recommends people create or join WhatsApp groups for their street or local community as part of preparations for emergencies, major disasters or war.
The Government’s Prepare website suggests people should “consider creating an instant messaging group or other closed online social network for your street or building – these can be an important source of information and support during an emergency”.
Prepare, the official resource for the public to plan for all kinds of emergencies, also lists supplies people can stock up on in case of a power cut or other disaster scenario.
But a little-noticed section entitled “talk to others” recommends passing on the information on the website to raise awareness about preparation for worst-case scenarios.
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It says: “Help your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues to undertake the simple actions on this website, if they can.
“Swap contact details with neighbours and consider creating an instant messaging group or other closed online social network for your street or building – these can be an important source of information and support during an emergency.
“Ask your neighbours if they might have additional support needs during an emergency-– they may have additional medical needs, be new to the area, be digitally excluded, or not speak or read English well. Talk to them about the help available and how you can support them.
“Make a plan to check in on neighbours if an emergency happens, particularly if the power goes out.”
It follows the publication of the Government’s National Security Strategy this week, which warned the public and authorities they should “actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario”.
The UK faces multiple threats, the Prime Minister warned at the Nato summit in The Hague (Photo: Pierre Crom/Getty)And speaking at the Nato summit in The Hague on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer said it was a “mistake” for people to think “that the only threat we face is external and far off”.
He added: “We do face threats at home all the time, on a daily basis, there are cyber attacks that have to be dealt with and are being dealt with, they are ever more sophisticated and we need to have the capability to deal with them.”
In the wake of the National Security Strategy, The i Paper revealed this week that the Government is planning to send emergency text alerts to every phone in the UK later this year as part of a drill to prepare the country for war or other disaster.
The first test for the nationwide smartphone warning system was sent in April 2023, while the alerts have been used since then for real-life emergencies to people in particular regions of the country affected by flooding and red weather warnings.
Neighbourhood WhatsApp groups have soared in popularity in recent years, with many local communities setting them up during the pandemic to share information about lockdown and school closures.
Post-pandemic, however, they have become a useful resource for getting rid of everyday items, or asking neighbours to take in a package.
In April, a survey of 2,000 people across the UK by estate agents Purplebricks found that 88 per cent of people are already in neighbourhood WhatsApp groups.
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