Meet the UK’s disaster preppers amid Doomsday Clock announcement today | UK News

Your phone is out of action, the electricity has cut out and there’s no way to reach food. What’s your game plan?

These are questions people have been urged to explore as the risk of ‘World War Three’ seemingly grows.

The world is poised to witness the next chapter of the Doomsday Clock – a scientific invention which measures how close the Earth is to disaster. It’s due to be updated this afternoon.

It currently stands at 90 seconds to midnight.

The Doomsday Clock’s new ‘time’ comes mere days after Admiral Rob Bauer, who chairs NATO’s Military Committee, warned people to make basic preparations for a potential ‘full-blown war’.

‘You need to have water, you need to have a radio on batteries and you need to have a flashlight on batteries to make sure that you can survive the first 36 hours’, he said. ‘It starts there, the realisation that not everything is plannable.’ 

But for a growing number of ‘preppers,’ – sometimes known as survivalists – they don’t need any warning. Whether it’s cupboards overflowing with tinned food, a car stocked with blankets or an emergency bag stocked with flares – they’re ready. They have been for years.

‘There’s a lot of people in high positions saying we’re on the brink of World War Three’, Tom Blakey tells Metro.

He served in the Pathfinders Platoon, an elite unit which acts as the ‘eyes and ears’ for the British Army’s 16 Air Assault Brigade.Tom, who has served in Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, would operate behind enemy lines to relay back information as quickly as possible. 

If anyone knows how quick reactions can be the difference between life and death, it’s him.

‘The first 36 hours of any disaster are crucial, but surviving that first night is just the start,’ explains Tom, 52.

‘An attack may not come in the traditional way we view war, with a physical invasion or bombs dropping. It could be a cyber attack which could wipe out our phones, energy supplies and water infrastructure in one big hit.

‘Whatever the threat is – whether it’s the weather, other human beings, a natural disaster – the first step is getting away from it and having a plan B. What if your car breaks down? What if the bridge you wanted to cross has collapsed? What if you don’t have a water supply? You need to be prepared for the “what-ifs…”’

Tom was brought up with a will to survive. His father, who had served in the Army, would conduct dramatic fire drills at their home. With his brother, Tom would climb out windows as the pretend ‘fire’ raged.

They weren’t allowed to wear hoods or headphones, their father wanted them to be aware of anything and everything.

Tom spent the final three years of his Army career as a reservist with the Red Devils parachute display team based in Wiltshire. But an injury cut the experience short which meant, by Covid, he had ample time to explore the Internet. There, Tom stumbled upon prepping videos on YouTube and realised he had skills he could lend to the community. 

The prepping movement took root in the US where it is typically associated with dramatic Doomsday-like events – anything from an alien invasion to a zombie outbreak. But for British preppers, it’s risks such as climate change or conflict they’re bracing for.

Tom adds: ‘I think there’s a bit of a stigma around the word “prepper”. People think we’re conspiracy theorists who hide away in the woods. I blame the Americans for that, especially as preppers over there can really focus on guns and weapons over basic skills.

‘For a lot of us in the UK, it’s a lot more practical. I do think it’s important to have an inquiring mind and to question things, but I’m no conspiracy theorist.’

Over in Wales, Leigh Price describes prepping as an ‘insurance policy’. He served in the Army in the 1990s and spent 20 years in the building trade after leaving service. 

Today, he combines both those skills as owner of the Bug Out shop. Leigh sells everything from army rations to water filters, camping equipment to first-aid kits.

His range of freeze-dried tinned food – his most popular item – can last until 2047. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he says prices of food tins skyrocketed by 56%.

Leigh tells Metro: ‘People are now realising the importance of survival. You insure your house, you insure your car, why wouldn’t you insure your way of living?

‘But most people are used to things being easy. They can get food delivered, parcels ordered, they’ve never experienced a power cut. We might have zombies after a disaster, but those zombies would be people trying to survive without a phone. 

‘Everyone expects that the government will provide for them if things go wrong, but that might not be the case. It will be communities supporting each other. That’s how it used to be, but it’s something we’ve lost now – especially in big cities. You do see it more in rural areas like here in Wales, as people know each other’s skills and look out for each other during flooding or snow.’

Like Tom, Leigh suspects that the biggest threat the UK faces isn’t a nuclear attack, but a tech-based one that could limit our access to power.

‘If something does happen, people need to keep calm,’ he warns. ‘The reality is we’re on the knife-edge. We are close to war and people are only now realising that. I don’t think nuclear war will happen, they don’t want that. 

‘But a cyber attack or energy black-out can still lead to mass panic. Desperate people will do desperate things to survive.’

Both Tom and Leigh run YouTube channels, Prepared Pathfinder and TheBugOutShop, respectively. If the world does unravel into chaos, they believe we’ll be learning from each other rather than relying on those in power. The hope the information they teach can make that possible.

‘The government doesn’t want hysteria, but there are a lot of things happening which we don’t know about,’ says Tom, who also runs adventure courses with First In Events.

He adds: ‘In the case of cyber attacks hitting the UK, they’re relentless. We can no longer sit here and think everything will be alright. 

‘Taking small, basic steps can be the difference between life and death in the future. The risks are out there, online and in real life, and they’re unpredictable. We need to be ready to face them head-on.’

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Kirsten.Robertson@metro.co.uk 

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