RESIDENTS living in parts of East Lothian are receiving an emergency cold weather payment after temperatures fell below zero degrees Celsius for seven days in a row.

A cold weather payment alert has been issued for areas in the Lothians following the freezing temperatures recorded between December 28 and January 3.

It means people who are eligible for additional payments through their current benefits should see an extra £25 paid into their accounts if they live in the following postcode areas: EH21, EH22, EH31, EH32, EH33, EH34, EH35, EH36, EH37, EH39, EH40, EH41 and EH42.

These include households in Dunbar, Haddington, Humbie, Musselburgh, North Berwick, Prestonpans and Tranent, as well as Dalkeith and Pathhead in Midlothian.

People who are eligible for the payment will already be receiving benefits such as pension credit, jobseekers’ allowance, income support, employment or support allowance and Universal Credit.

The payment alert was triggered by the weather station at Gogarbank, Edinburgh. Up to 23,000 households are eligible for payment should temperatures fall for an entire week.

The scheme, which runs from November to March, had not seen a single trigger from any weather station up to December 18, according to its most up-to-date figures released. Those who qualify should receive the payment automatically, with payments triggered by reports from weather stations.

To check if your area qualified for the payment, go to coldweatherpayments.dwp.gov.uk