Cold weather payments have been triggered in 441 postcodes across the UK as freezing temperatures grip the UK. The DWP said an estimated 674,000 households across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are set to receive the £25 payment.

The move comes as areas around the UK brace for a bitterly cold few weeks that will see the mercury plummet to -5C across much of the UK. Alongside the cold, the Met Office has issued widespread weather warnings for snow and ice, with some areas being submerged under nearly half metre.

With such cold households heating will be in overdrive, leaving many to see their gas and electric bills soar.

The cold weather payment is designed to help offset some of the bills, with the money aiming to cover the additional cost to heat your home - although not everyone is eligible.

Only specific groups are able to claim the extra £25 payment and include people on pension credit, income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA), income-related employment and support allowance (ESA), universal credit and support for mortgage interest (SMI).

Minister for Pensions Torsten Bell said: "As temperatures plunge, Cold Weather Payments will automatically get support directly to vulnerable households. Combined with the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign and our Triple Lock commitment - set to increase the State Pension by up to £2,100 over this Parliament - we're ensuring pensioners get the support they need this Winter."

With a chilly forecast ahead, the DWP has opened the scheme up to 187 more postcode areas, totalling 441 more postcodes.

• AL5: Harpenden
• AL6: Welwyn
• AL7 - AL8: Welwyn Garden City
• AL9 - AL10: Hatfield
• BB4: Rossendale (Haslingden)
• BB8: Colne
• BB9: Nelson
• BB10 - BB11: Burnley
• BB12: Padiham
• BB18: Barnoldswick
• BD1 - BD9: Bradford City center and inner suburbs
• BD10: Idle, Eccleshill
• BD11: Birkenshaw
• BD12: Low Moor
• BD13: Queensbury, Thornton
• BD14: Clayton
• BD15: Allerton
• BD16: Bingley
• BD17: Baildon
• BD18: Shipley
• BD19: Cleckheaton
• BD20: Keighley (Silsden, Steeton)
• BD21 - BD22: Keighley
• BD23: Skipton, Grassington
• BD24: Settle, Giggleswick
• BN5: Henfield
• BN6: Hassocks
• BN44: Steyning
• CB1 - CB5: Cambridge City, Teversham, Cherry Hinton
• CB6 - CB7: Ely, Soham, Littleport
• CB8: Newmarket
• CB9: Haverhill
• CB10 - CB11: Saffron Walden
• CB21 - CB25: Sawston, Histon, Cottenham, Cambourne
• CF37 - CF38: Pontypridd
• CF39 - CF43: Porth, Tonypandy, Treorchy, Ferndale
• CF44 - CF45: Aberdare, Mountain Ash
• CF46 - CF48: Treharris, Merthyr Tydfil
• CF81 - CF83: Bargoed, Hengoed, Caerphilly
• CM1 - CM3: Chelmsford, Writtle, South Woodham Ferrers
• CM4 - CM5: Ingatestone, Ongar
• CM6: Dunmow

• CM7, CM77: Braintree
• CM8 - CM9: Witham, Maldon
• CM11 - CM12: Billericay, Wickford
• CM13 - CM15: Brentwood, Shenfield
• CM17 - CM20: Harlow
• CM21 - CM24: Sawbridgeworth, Bishop's Stortford, Stansted
• CO1 - CO4: Colchester Town
• CO5: Tiptree, West Mersea
• CO6 - CO7: Coggeshall, Brightlingsea, Wivenhoe
• CO8, CO10: Bures, Sudbury
• CO9: Halstead
• CO11 - CO12: Manningtree, Harwich
• CO13 - CO16: Frinton-on-Sea, Walton, Clacton-on-Sea
• DE4, DE6, DE45: Matlock, Ashbourne, Bakewell
• DH1, DH6, DH7: Durham City
• DH8 - DH9: Consett, Stanley
• DL4 - DL5: Shildon, Newton Aycliffe
• DL8: Bedale, Leyburn
• DL11 - DL12: Richmond, Barnard Castle
• DL13 - DL15: Bishop Auckland, Crook
• DL16 - DL17: Spennymoor, Ferryhill
• EN6: Potters Bar
• GU5 - GU6: Bramley, Cranleigh
• HD3, HD7 - HD9: Huddersfield, Holmfirth
• HP1 - HP3: Hemel Hempstead
• HP4 - HP5: Berkhamsted, Chesham
• HP6 - HP9: Amersham, Chalfont St Giles, Beaconsfield
• HP10 - HP15: High Wycombe
• HP17 - HP22: Aylesbury
• HP23, HP27: Tring, Princes Risborough
• HX1 - HX7: Halifax, Elland, Hebden Bridge
• IP1 - IP10: Ipswich Town and suburbs
• IP11 - IP12: Felixstowe, Woodbridge
• IP13 - IP14: Framlingham, Stowmarket
• IP15 - IP19: Aldeburgh, Leiston, Saxmundham, Southwold, Halesworth
• IP20 - IP23: Harleston, Eye, Diss
• IP24 - IP27: Thetford, Watton, Brandon
• IP28 - IP33: Bury St Edmunds
• LD3: Brecon
• LS21, LS29: Otley, Ilkley
• LU1 - LU4: Luton
• LU5 - LU6: Dunstable
• LU7: Leighton Buzzard
• ME6: Snodland
• ME14 - ME17: Maidstone
• ME18 - ME20: Mereworth, West Malling, Aylesford
• MK1 - MK15: Milton Keynes City and suburbs
• MK16 - MK19: Newport Pagnell, Olney, Buckingham
• MK40 - MK45: Bedford, Ampthill, Flitwick
• MK46: Olney
• NE18, NE20: Stamfordham, Ponteland
• NE44 - NE46: Riding Mill, Corbridge, Hexham
• NN1 - NN7: Northampton City and surrounding villages
• NN8 - NN10: Wellingborough, Rushden
• NN11 - NN13: Daventry, Towcester, Brackley
• NN29: Wollaston
• NP4, NP44: Pontypool, Cwmbran
• NP11 - NP13: Risca, Blackwood, Abertillery
• NP22 - NP24: Tredegar, Ebbw Vale, New Tredegar
• NR1 - NR8: Norwich City and suburbs
• NR9 - NR11: Wymondham (North), Reepham, Aylsham
• NR12 - NR15: Wroxham, Brundall, Loddon, Long Stratton
• NR16 - NR18: East Harling, Attleborough, Wymondham
• NR19 - NR20: Dereham
• NR21 - NR25: Fakenham, Wells, Holt
• NR26 - NR28: Sheringham, Cromer, North Walsham
• NR29 - NR31: Hemsby, Great Yarmouth, Gorleston
• NR32 - NR35: Lowestoft, Beccles, Bungay
• OL13 - OL14: Bacup, Todmorden
• OX9 - OX10: Thame, Wallingford
• OX33, OX39: Wheatley, Chinnor
• OX44, OX49: Chalgrove, Watlington
• PE12 - PE14: Spalding, Wisbech
• PE19: St Neots
• PE30 - PE38: King's Lynn, Hunstanton, Swaffham, Downham Market
• RG9: Henley-on-Thames
• RH1 - RH3: Redhill, Reigate, Betchworth
• RH4 - RH5: Dorking
• RH6: Horley (Gatwick)
• RH7 - RH9: Lingfield, Oxted, Godstone
• RH10 - RH11: Crawley
• RH12 - RH14: Horsham, Billingshurst
• RH15 - RH17: Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath
• RH18 - RH20: Forest Row, East Grinstead, Pulborough
• RM4: Havering-atte-Bower
• S32 - S36: Hope Valley, Penistone
• SG1 - SG4: Stevenage, Hitchin
• SG5 - SG9: Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock, Royston, Buntingford
• SG10 - SG14: Much Hadham, Ware, Hertford
• SG15 - SG19: Arlesey, Biggleswade, Sandy
• SK13, SK17: Glossop, Buxton
• SK22 - SK23: High Peak
• SL7 - SL9: Marlow, Bourne End, Gerrards Cross
• ST8 - ST13: Biddulph, Leek, Cheadle
• TN1 - TN7: Royal Tunbridge Wells, Wadhurst, Crowborough, Hartfield
• TN8 - TN11: Edenbridge, Tonbridge
• TN12 - TN15: Paddock Wood, Sevenoaks
• TN16 - TN20: Westerham, Cranbrook, Hawkhurst, Etchingham, Mayfield
• TN22, TN27: Uckfield, Headcorn
• TS21, TS28, TS29: Stillington, Wingate, Trimdon
• WD3 - WD7: Rickmansworth, Kings Langley, Radlett, Borehamwood
• WD17 - WD19: Watford Central
• WD23 - WD25: Bushey, Watford (North)

Another 18 postcodes had the cold payment triggered on December 30, making them also eligible:

• CA9: Alston, Garrigill, Nenthead
• CA10: Penrith (Rural), Shap, Tebay
• CA11: Penrith, Ullswater, Glenridding
• CA12: Keswick, Seatoller, Braithwaite
• CA16: Appleby-in-Westmorland
• CA17: Kirkby Stephen, Brough
• LA8: Kendal (Rural), Staveley, Levens
• LA9: Kendal (Town Centre)
• LA10: Sedbergh, Dent
• LA21: Coniston, Torver
• LA22: Ambleside, Langdale, Grasmere
• LA23: Windermere, Bowness-on-Windermere, Troutbeck
• NE19: Otterburn, Redesdale, Elsdon
• NE47: Allendale, Hexhamshire, Haydon Bridge
• NE48: Bellingham, Kielder, Wark
• NE49: Haltwhistle, Greenhead
• DG14: Canonbie (Dumfries and Galloway)
• TD9: Hawick, Newcastleton (Scottish Borders)