Cold weather payment areas extended

The payments will be made automatically to eligible people in the following postcodes within the Castlederg and Thomastown weather stations:

Castlederg weather station postcode areas: BT78, BT79, BT81, BT82, and

Thomastown weather station postcode areas: BT74, BT75, BT76, BT77, BT92, BT93 and BT94.

This follows the trigger last week of Cold Weather Payments for eight postcodes in the Katesbridge weather station area: BT24, BT25, BT26 and BT30, BT31, BT32, BT33 and BT34.

The Met Office notifies the Department for Communities when the trigger for Cold Weather Payments has been reached, that is when the average temperature is, or is forecast to be, zero degrees centigrade or below over seven consecutive days.

Only those qualifying customers living in these postcode areas will receive the £25 payment. The payments will be made automatically and there is no need to make a claim.

Customers in Castlederg and Thomastown postcode areas can expect to receive their payment by Wednesday 21 December 2022.

Cold Weather Payments are made automatically and people do not have to make a claim.

Further information on eligibility for Cold Weather Payments can be found on NI Direct - https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/cold-weather-payment

Cold Weather payments are in addition to the Winter Fuel payments made to people born on or before 25 September 1956.

As snow and ice wreaked havoc on UK roads over the weekend and caused thousands of accidents and breakdowns, leading rural insurer NFU Mutual recorded its busiest day of the year for motor insurance claims.

Monday morning saw twice the usual volume of accident or breakdown notifications to NFU Mutual, and with the Met Office’s Cold Weather Alert in force until Friday 16 December, the leading rural insurer is calling on motorists to take action to avoid endangering themselves and their vehicles.