10,000 UK homes eligible for Cold Weather Payment after Storm Bert

Funds are being sent out to thousands of homes after a sustained spell of cold weather hit the UK. Cold Weather Payments entitle eligible households to £25 for every seven consecutive days their area experiences zero degrees Celsius.

A number of postcodes have already been triggered since the scheme opened on November 1. That is entitling 10,000 households to the DWP payment.

It can take up to two weeks for the payment to land in your account, which should be automatic. Anyone who believes they are due Cold Weather Payments is encouraged to use the Government’s postcode checker before contacting the Pension Service, Jobcentre Plus or Universal Credit helpline.

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The two-week delay also means that those triggered in the season’s first cold snap become eligible for the payment on November 17 but may only receive it next week. The following postcodes have been triggered this winter, making around 10,000 households eligible according to The Mirror:

• CA9 Leadgate, Cumbria

• NE49 Haltwhistle, Northumberland

• LA21 Coniston, Cumbria

• CA12 Keswick, Cumbria

• LA23 Windermere, Cumbria

• NE19 Elsdon, Northumberland

• LA22 Lakes, Cumbria

• NE47 Allendale, Northumberland

• CA11 Catterlen, Cumbria

• TD9 (parts on English side of border)

• LA8 Kendal, Cumbria

• DG14 (parts on English side of border)

• CA16 Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria

• CA10 Cliburn, Cumbria

• LA9 Kendal, Cumbria

• NE48 Bellingham, Northumberland

• LA10 Sedbergh, Cumbria

• CA17 Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria

The £25 payments are meant to help cover heating costs in extreme weather. You do need to be claiming certain benefits to be eligible for the bonus. These benefits include:

• Income Support

• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

• Universal Credit

• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

• Pension Credit

• Support for Mortgage Interest

Some circumstances can also make you eligible, such as having a baby or a child under the age of 5 come to live with you while claiming Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance. In this case, the payments also won’t be automatic so you’ll need to inform Jobcentre Plus in order to claim it.