Alcon 3 and Alcon 2 were not in a strict interpretation progressions between 4 and 1.
The standing alert was alcon 4 - one aircraft per sqn loaded, fuelled and at RS15 on main base.
When a recall was sounded one had no idea on whether it would be for alcon 3 or alcon 2. The reason was that alcon 3 had aircraft fully fuelled and thus overweight for landing at disperal airfields; weapons were also armed. On the other hand alcon 2 had aircraft fuelled to a lower level for landing at dispersals and weapons were not armed.
Now the Vulcan (I don't know about the Victor) was cleared to land at maximum all up weight. If a heavyweight landing, over 140,000lbs, then additional heavy landing checks would be required. The Victor could dump fuel whereas the Vulcan could not.
However, with 20-20 hindsight it would have been possible to bring the aircraft to alcon 3 and then order alcon 1 - with aircraft dispersing and landing overweight and ignoring any overweight landing checks. This was never, to my knowledge, considered as an option.
You should also remember that all the bomber main bases were inside the Bloodhound kill box and thus less vulnerable to a bomber threat than if they were dispersed.