COLD weather payments are on their way to vulnerable residents in Helensburgh and Lomond after the recent prolonged spell of freezing temperatures.

The wintry weather between January 27 and February 2 has automatically triggered the £25 payments to people living in the G82, G83 and G84 postcode areas, as well as in several other parts of Argyll and Bute.

The payments are made after Met Office weather stations record seven consecutive days in which temperatures dip below zero degrees Centigrade.

They apply to people who are in receipt of Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, and Support for Mortgage Interest.

The payments to residents in certain areas of Argyll and Bute were sparked by the recording of sub-zero temperatures at the weather stations in Glasgow, Bishopton and Strathallan.