During a heavy metal event in Leicestershire, nearly 700 false emergency alerts were received by the police due to smartwatches worn by attendees. These accidental 999 calls were triggered by wearable devices assuming that people in moshpits had been in collisions.

As a result, Leicestershire police are urging festivalgoers to switch their devices to airplane mode or disable emergency alerts to avoid unnecessary calls to emergency services. The number of 999 calls during the event doubled from the usual 600 over a long weekend.

Police have requested attendees to remain on the line if their device makes an accidental 999 call or answer callbacks from emergency teams to confirm their safety. This measure is to prevent contact handlers from being occupied with false alarms instead of responding to genuine emergencies.

Wearable technology, such as smartwatches, may have features like crash detection. For instance, Apple devices can automatically call emergency services if they detect a severe car crash and the alert is not canceled within a specific time frame.

Approximately 75,000 people are expected to participate in the Download festival at Donington Park, near Castle Donington in Leicestershire. The event, known as the UK's premier rock festival, will feature headline acts like Green Day, Sleep Token, and Korn.

This year's festival has a fancy dress theme of Friday 13th. Attendees are advised not to bring fake or replica weapons, including toy guns or swords, to ensure everyone's safety and prevent confusion during security checks.