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The UK government has advised households to keep at least three days' worth of food and drinking water at home under a new preparedness campaign called "Be Ready", aimed at coping with extreme weather, cyberattacks, natural disasters and state-backed threats.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the threats are real and increasingly appearing at home, while Security Minister Dan Jarvis said simple steps by residents would allow emergency crews to prioritise those in greater need.

What the campaign recommends

The "Be Ready" campaign is intended to help households prepare for natural disasters, cyberattacks and disruptions to critical infrastructure. Residents are advised to store nine litres of drinking water per person for three days, based on three litres a day, along with non-perishable food, first aid supplies, a torch, blankets, cash and a battery-powered radio.

Officials warned that electricity, water, telephone and internet services may be cut during emergencies, and that supply chains could also be disrupted.

Ministers warn of real threats

Speaking at a defence industry facility in Telford, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the country needs to be better prepared for natural disasters, sophisticated cyberattacks and state-backed terrorism. Streeting warned that Russia and other hostile states could target critical infrastructure used in everyday life, saying: "These threats are not hypothetical, they are real. Increasingly, they are appearing here, not somewhere else."

Streeting urged households and businesses to plan in advance how they would respond to a possible crisis. Speaking on the BBC's "Question Time", Streeting said the government's aim is not to frighten the public: "We want people to be alert, but not to panic."

Streeting said the preparations are not aimed at a specific threat, and that food and water reserves could be useful during power cuts or if payment systems fail as a result of a cyberattack.

Wider context

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said residents taking simple measures would let security and rescue teams give priority to people who need more support during emergencies. Jarvis said the initiative aims to strengthen the country's resilience to crises, and noted that similar preparedness campaigns are run in France, Ireland and the Netherlands.

In a recent case, 32 public service websites in the UK were taken offline as a precaution after a critical security flaw was found in PHP, a programming language used on a large number of websites worldwide.

Key takeaways

• The UK government's "Be Ready" campaign advises households to keep three days of food and water, first aid supplies, cash and a battery-powered radio at home.
• The recommended water supply is nine litres per person for three days, at three litres a day.
• Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said threats from natural disasters, cyberattacks and hostile states are real and increasingly appearing in the UK.
• Security Minister Dan Jarvis said household preparedness would let emergency crews prioritise those in greater need.