Some people signed up to Civil Defence alerts have received an early morning wake-up call - three of them in fact.

Text messages were sent out to people on the new Emergency Mobile Alert system at 1.32, 1.33 and 1.49 this morning.

Civil Defence has apologised and said future testing will be carried out during daylight hours.

But Newstalk ZB's Glenn Hart told Andrew Dickens the tests have left many people tired and frustrated.

"My phone, which is on my bedside table, lights up buzzes. To be woken up at that time is a cruel and usual punishment."

LISTEN ABOVE AS GLENN HART SPEAKS WITH ANDREW DICKENS