Households across Norfolk and Suffolk could be in for a special extra payment from the government because of the Beast from the East.

People claiming certain types of benefits are entitled to a £25 cold weather payment from the government if the average temperature where they live is recorded as, or is forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below for seven days on the trot.

And that has been triggered because of the recent cold snap. The temperature at airfields in Tibenham, Marham and Wattisham has been used to calculate whether people in Norfolk and Suffolk should get the payment.

From Friday, February 23 until Thursday, March 1 the temperature at both airfields was below zero, which means eligible people are entitled to the payment in the following postcode areas:

NR1

NR2

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IP18

IP20

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IP25

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IP24

PE31

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The cold weather payment scheme runs from November 1 until March 31 and this is the first payment which will be made over that period.

People who may be eligible for cold weather payments are those who get pension credit, income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment and support allowance or universal credit.

People do not need to claim. After each period of cold weather eligible people should get a payment within two weeks, which is paid into the same bank account as their benefit payments.

Cold weather payments are not the same as winter fuel payments - which is a sum between £100 and £300 which eligible people get towards their heating bills.

Click here for further details and to check your postcode.