diff --git a/app/celery/broadcast_message_tasks.py b/app/celery/broadcast_message_tasks.py
index fe0e66c37..8bf1f2316 100644
--- a/app/celery/broadcast_message_tasks.py
+++ b/app/celery/broadcast_message_tasks.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ from flask import current_app
 from notifications_utils.statsd_decorators import statsd
 from sqlalchemy.schema import Sequence
 
-from app import cbc_proxy_client, db, notify_celery
+from app import cbc_proxy_client, db, notify_celery, zendesk_client
 from app.clients.cbc_proxy import (
     CBCProxyFatalException,
     CBCProxyRetryableException,
@@ -111,6 +111,30 @@ def send_broadcast_event(broadcast_event_id):
         return
 
     broadcast_event = dao_get_broadcast_event_by_id(broadcast_event_id)
+
+    if current_app.config['NOTIFY_ENVIRONMENT'] == 'production':
+        broadcast_message = broadcast_event.broadcast_message
+        # raise a P1 to alert team that broadcast is going out.
+        message = '\n'.join([
+            'Broadcast Sent',
+            '',
+            f'https://www.notifications.service.gov.uk/services/{broadcast_message.service_id}/current-alerts/{broadcast_message.id}',  # noqa
+            '',
+            f'This broacast has been sent on channel {broadcast_message.service.broadcast_channel}.',
+            f'This broadcast is targeted at areas {broadcast_message.areas.get("areas")}.',
+            ''
+            f'This broadcast\'s content starts "{broadcast_message.content[:100]}"'
+            '',
+            'If this alert is not expected refer to the runbook for instructions.',
+            'https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J99yOlfp4nQz6et0w5oJVqi-KywtIXkxrEIyq_g2XUs',
+        ])
+        zendesk_client.create_ticket(
+            subject="Live broadcast sent",
+            message=message,
+            ticket_type=zendesk_client.TYPE_INCIDENT,
+            p1=True,
+        )
+
     for provider in broadcast_event.service.get_available_broadcast_providers():
         send_broadcast_provider_message.apply_async(
             kwargs={'broadcast_event_id': broadcast_event_id, 'provider': provider},
diff --git a/tests/app/celery/test_broadcast_message_tasks.py b/tests/app/celery/test_broadcast_message_tasks.py
index c8942ee6b..a5cc2ffdb 100644
--- a/tests/app/celery/test_broadcast_message_tasks.py
+++ b/tests/app/celery/test_broadcast_message_tasks.py
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ def test_send_broadcast_event_queues_up_for_active_providers(mocker, notify_api,
     template = create_template(sample_broadcast_service, BROADCAST_TYPE)
     broadcast_message = create_broadcast_message(template, status=BroadcastStatusType.BROADCASTING)
     event = create_broadcast_event(broadcast_message)
+    mock_create_ticket = mocker.patch("app.celery.broadcast_message_tasks.zendesk_client.create_ticket")
 
     mock_send_broadcast_provider_message = mocker.patch(
         'app.celery.broadcast_message_tasks.send_broadcast_provider_message',
@@ -49,6 +50,9 @@ def test_send_broadcast_event_queues_up_for_active_providers(mocker, notify_api,
         call(kwargs={'broadcast_event_id': event.id, 'provider': 'vodafone'}, queue='broadcast-tasks')
     ]
 
+    # we're on test env so this isn't called
+    assert mock_create_ticket.called is False
+
 
 def test_send_broadcast_event_only_sends_to_one_provider_if_set_on_service(
     mocker,
@@ -106,6 +110,50 @@ def test_send_broadcast_event_does_nothing_if_cbc_proxy_disabled(mocker, notify_
     assert mock_send_broadcast_provider_message.apply_async.called is False
 
 
+def test_send_broadcast_event_creates_zendesk_p1(mocker, notify_api, sample_broadcast_service):
+    template = create_template(sample_broadcast_service, BROADCAST_TYPE)
+    broadcast_message = create_broadcast_message(
+        template,
+        status=BroadcastStatusType.BROADCASTING,
+        areas={'areas': ['wd20-S13002775', 'wd20-S13002773'], 'simple_polygons': []},
+    )
+    event = create_broadcast_event(broadcast_message)
+    mock_create_ticket = mocker.patch("app.celery.broadcast_message_tasks.zendesk_client.create_ticket")
+
+    mocker.patch('app.celery.broadcast_message_tasks.send_broadcast_provider_message')
+
+    with set_config(notify_api, 'NOTIFY_ENVIRONMENT', 'production'):
+        send_broadcast_event(event.id)
+
+    assert mock_create_ticket.call_count == 1
+    zendesk_args = mock_create_ticket.call_args[1]
+    assert zendesk_args['p1'] is True
+    assert zendesk_args['ticket_type'] == 'incident'
+
+    assert str(broadcast_message.id) in zendesk_args['message']
+    assert 'channel severe' in zendesk_args['message']
+    assert "areas ['wd20-S13002775', 'wd20-S13002773']" in zendesk_args['message']
+    # the start of the content from the broadcast template
+    assert "Dear Sir/Madam" in zendesk_args['message']
+
+
+def test_send_broadcast_event_doesnt_create_zendesk_on_staging(mocker, notify_api, sample_broadcast_service):
+    template = create_template(sample_broadcast_service, BROADCAST_TYPE)
+    broadcast_message = create_broadcast_message(template, status=BroadcastStatusType.BROADCASTING)
+    event = create_broadcast_event(broadcast_message)
+    mock_create_ticket = mocker.patch("app.celery.broadcast_message_tasks.zendesk_client.create_ticket")
+
+    mock_send_broadcast_provider_message = mocker.patch(
+        'app.celery.broadcast_message_tasks.send_broadcast_provider_message',
+    )
+
+    with set_config(notify_api, 'NOTIFY_ENVIRONMENT', 'staging'):
+        send_broadcast_event(event.id)
+
+    assert mock_send_broadcast_provider_message.apply_async.called is True
+    assert mock_create_ticket.called is False
+
+
 @freeze_time('2020-08-01 12:00')
 @pytest.mark.parametrize('provider,provider_capitalised', [
     ['ee', 'EE'],