Some households in England and Wales will be getting a £25 payment to help them keep their homes warm during the cold snap. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has triggered cold weather payments for over 200,000 more people as Britain is gripped by freezing temperatures.
More than 200 postcode areas in England and Wales are eligible for the payments, which were triggered earlier this week. The current big freeze will see eligible households in Cumbria, Northumberland, Oxfordshire, Yorkshire, Norfolk, Staffordshire and Powys in Wales receive the payments, which are triggered when temperatures are recorded or forecast to be below zero for seven consecutive days. READ MORE: DWP Cold Weather Payments update as 211 areas across UK now eligible - full list of postcodes READ MORE: Met Office forecasters warn 'cold plunge of Arctic air' could see UK temperatures drop to -15C The DWP's cold weather payment scheme runs from November to March and so far this winter payments have been made in 550 different postcode areas.
With the latest lot of payments arriving this week, some areas will now have a total of three payments - worth £75 - added to their bank account, while others have two (£50) or one (£25).
Other places in England and Wales have not yet been cold enough to trigger a payment. Postcodes is Greater Manchester are eligible for one payment, while some areas of neighbouring Derbyshire and Yorkshire are eligible for two.