The government will help poorer households heat their houses while temperatures drop this week (Picture: Getty)
Households on low incomes will receive one-off government payments to help with keeping their homes warm.
Poorer people who live in areas where the average temperature has been recorded as or is forecast to be freezing or lower for seven consecutive days will be paid £25.
Homes across the North West, including in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, in parts of the South West, such as near Exeter, and in Nottingham in the East Midlands, will qualify.
Parts of Powys in east-central Wales, Oxfordshire and Herefordshire, will also be eligible for payments.
It will benefit people claiming pension credit, income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance, income-related employment and support allowance, universal credit and support for mortgage interest.
The money should land in bank accounts within 14 days of the payments being triggered.
The payment should appear in people’s bank accounts 14 days after it is triggered
The payments are triggered when the forecast is 0°C or lower over seven consecutive days (Picture: Myles Goode)
Thursday’s yellow weather warning for snow and ice in Northern Scotland was extended (Picture: Metro.co.uk)
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In Scotland, people on benefits or low incomes may qualify for an annual £50 winter heating payment, but this is made irrespective of cold temperatures.
The Met Office warned that temperatures ‘falling close to minus 10°C’ could be recorded in rural parts of the UK on Thursday.
A Level 3 cold weather alert is covering England until Monday, with motorists warned about wintry showers creating hazardous, icy patches on roads.
Thursday’s yellow weather warning for snow and ice in Northern Scotland has also been extended until 12pm on Sunday.
Yellow warnings for ice in coastal and northern England and parts of Wales and Northern Ireland have also been issued for Friday.
The icy conditions in coastal England and parts of Northern Ireland and Wales are expected to continue into Saturday.
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Households on low incomes are in line to get an extra £25 to help cover the bills.
