The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has activated emergency financial support for hundreds of thousands of households across England and Wales as a severe cold snap takes hold.
Payments Triggered by Winter Storm
On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, the DWP triggered Cold Weather Payments in a total of 246 postcode areas. This action comes as the Met Office issued a series of yellow and amber weather warnings for snow, rain, and ice across the UK, linked to the arrival of Storm Goretti.
More than half a million households are expected to be eligible for the automatic payment of £25, designed to help with the cost of heating during periods of exceptionally cold weather. The warnings are in force from now until Friday.
Which Areas Are Affected?
The triggered postcodes span a wide range of regions. Affected areas include parts of Greater Manchester, Cumbria, Staffordshire, Gloucestershire, and significant portions of Wales and Northern Ireland.
In the West Midlands, an amber weather alert for snow and ice has been issued, effective from 8pm on Thursday until 9am on Friday. The full list of postcodes where payments have been activated is extensive, covering areas from Carlisle (CA postcodes) to Bournemouth (BH), Stoke-on-Trent (ST), Manchester (M), and many others.
The eligible postcodes are: CA1, CA2, CA3, CA4, CA5, CA6, CA7, CA8, DG16, BH1, BH2, BH3, BH4, BH5, BH6, BH7, BH8, BH9, BH10, BH11, BH12, BH13, BH14, BH15, BH16, BH17, BH18, BH19, BH20, BH21, BH22, BH23, BH24, BH25, BH31, DT1, DT2, DT11, SP6, CW1, CW2, CW3, CW5, CW12, SK10, SK11, ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4, ST5, ST6, ST7, ST12, ST14, ST15, ST16, ST17, ST18, ST19, ST20, ST21, CV36, GL54, GL55, GL56, OX7, OX15, OX16, OX17, WR12, LD1, LD2, LD4, LD5, LD6, LD7, LD8, SA19, SA20, SY7, SY9, SY18, BL0, BL1, BL2, BL3, BL4, BL5, BL6, BL7, BL8, BL9, M24, M26, OL1, OL2, OL3, OL4, OL5, OL6, OL7, OL8, OL9, OL10, OL11, OL12, OL15, OL16, SK15, CW4, CW6, CW7, CW8, CW9, CW10, CW11, M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7, M8, M9, M11, M12, M13, M14, M15, M16, M17, M18, M19, M20, M21, M22, M23, M25, M27, M28, M29, M30, M31, M32, M33, M34, M35, M38, M40, M41, M43, M44, M45, M46, M50, M90, PR7, SK1, SK2, SK3, SK4, SK5, SK6, SK7, SK8, SK9, SK12, SK14, SK16, WA1, WA2, WA3, WA4, WA5, WA6, WA7, WA8, WA9, WA10, WA11, WA12, WA13, WA14, WA15, WA16, WN1, WN2, WN3, WN4, WN5, WN6, WN7, WN8, SY1, SY2, SY3, SY4, SY5, SY6, SY11, SY12, SY13, TF1, TF2, TF3, TF4, TF5, TF6, TF7, TF8, TF9, TF10, TF11, TF12, TF13, LE15, NN14, NN15, NN16, NN17, NN18, PE1, PE2, PE3, PE4, PE5, PE6, PE7, PE8, PE9, PE15, PE16, PE26, PE27, PE28, PE29, BT24, BT25, BT26, BT30, BT31, BT32, BT33, BT34.
How the Support Schemes Work
Cold Weather Payments are automatically issued to eligible residents in England and Wales who receive certain benefits, such as Pension Credit or Income Support. The payment is made for each seven-day period where the average temperature in an area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below.
A similar but separate scheme operates in Northern Ireland. In Scotland, however, residents receive an annual Winter Heating Payment which is not linked to specific cold spells.
This latest trigger brings the total for the winter so far to payments activated for 697 postcode areas. Notably, 18 districts have now qualified for two separate £25 payments because the freezing conditions have persisted for two consecutive weekly periods in those locations.
Households in the affected postcodes do not need to apply; the payment should be made automatically into the same bank account where they receive their benefits. The DWP advises people to check their eligibility and payment status via their official channels if they believe they should qualify.
