Residents in Lichfield and Burntwood are being urged to sign up for social media alerts from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The emergency service is putting out messages about major incidents, including large-scale fires, road accidents or chemical spills, on Twitter.

Director of Response Rob Barber said: “Twitter alerts are an excellent method of communicating vital, time critical information immediately, directly and simultaneously to a large number of people, and they would play a key role should a major emergency occur within Staffordshire.

“Emergency services nationally have launched their own Twitter alerts and we are delighted to have joined them and to be able to offer our residents this service. It will also assist firefighters when dealing with major incidents as people will be aware of the situation and can respond accordingly.

“I would urge as many residents as possible to sign up to receive alerts.”

To subscribe to the system via a mobile device, follow the Service on @Staffsfire and then tap the alert bell icon.

When the Service tweets information about an emergency anyone who has signed up will receive a text message or notification directly to their phone.

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