People on low incomes in hundreds of postcode districts in England and Wales will receive an emergency £25 cold weather payment due to the freezing conditions.
It comes as charity chiefs warned that millions of people across the UK are struggling to pay energy bills and heat their homes are now “in peril” due to the cold snap.
Around three million low-income households cannot afford to heat their homes – with 710,000 of the poorest families unable to meet their warm clothing, heating and food needs, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Emergency payments have now been triggered for those on benefits in areas where the average temperature has been recorded as – or is forecast to be – 0C or below over seven consecutive days, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said.
Cold weather payments have been triggered in areas 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, among others.
Parts of Powys in east-central Wales, Oxfordshire and Herefordshire, also have affected postcodes. The public can check if they are in an eligible postcode district on the government website.
The bank top-up of £25 will be in eligible people’s bank accounts within 14 days of the trigger, the government said.
People claiming Universal Credit, pension credit, income-based jobseeker’s allowance and income-related employment and support allowance could be eligible for the cold weather payments.
The cold weather payments are only paid in England and Wales. In Scotland, people on benefits or low incomes may qualify for an annual £50 winter heating payment, though this is made irrespective of cold temperatures.
National Energy Action has urged Rishi Sunak’s government to provide more targeted support with energy bills for “those at greatest peril” during the winter.
Adam Scorer, chief executive, said: “Impossibly high prices and now cold weather will leave millions struggling to stay warm and safe at home. We hear daily from people who are forced to turn their heating off when they need it the most.”
Rachelle Earwaker, senior economist at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “The government must see that families won’t be able to get through the winter on the current levels of support.”
Joseph Rowntree Foundation research shows that a fifth of all low-income households are currently going without the food and heating they need this winter.
It comes as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a Level 3 cold weather alert covering England until Monday. Temperatures were forecast to drop to minus 10C in some rural areas overnight, while the bulk of the country woke up to 0C or below.
A DWP spokesman said: “Cold weather payments can be triggered right through to the end of March, giving people facing disproportionately cold weather that extra reassurance over the chillier months.”
“Alongside this, we’re providing households with £400 towards their energy bills this winter, with our energy price guarantee saving the typical household another £900 on top of this.”
