Cold weather: Payments issued as cold spell continues

Cold weather payments have been triggered for eight postcode areas in Northern Ireland, as the cold spell continues.

The £25 payment is made to people living in areas where the temperature is recorded or forecast to be 0°C or below for seven consecutive days.

Overnight temperatures have fallen below freezing in the past week, and will do so again in the coming nights.

The Met Office has issued a new yellow weather warning for snow and ice coming into effect at 15:00 GMT until 11:00 on Tuesday.

In the Republic of Ireland, all non-urgent outpatients appointments in a number of hospitals have been cancelled as snow and icy weather conditions grip much of the country.

About 41,000 premises are without power on Monday morning, and more than 40,000 are without water, mostly in southern counties.

Several counties face school closures on the first day of term following the Christmas break as a country-wide weather warning for ice will remain in place until midday on Thursday.

The cold weather payments are made automatically to those who get a qualifying benefit, and people living in these areas do not need to do anything to claim the money.

They will be paid to people living in the following postcodes in County Down:

The Met Office yellow warning for Northern Ireland from Monday afternoon warns of rain, sleet, and snow showers which will lead to icy stretches in untreated areas.

The Met Office said a slight covering of snow is expected in some places, and perhaps up to 5 centre on the hills towards the northern west, including the Sperrins.

Due to the nature of showers, not everywhere will see the winter conditions.

In the Republic of Ireland, a yellow warning for snow and ice lasts from noon on Monday until noon on Tuesday.

In the Republic of Ireland, bus and rail services were also impacted as a result of the conditions, which were most prominently felt in Munster, in particular counties Cork, Kerry, Tipperary and Limerick and southern Leinster.

There was also disruption to incoming and outgoing flights at Cork, Shannon and Dublin airports.

ESB Networks, which runs the power grid, said: “We anticipate power restoration will take a number of days in those areas that are worst affected due to the hazardous weather conditions and accessibility challenges.”

Uisce Éireann (Irish water) said it is working to restore supplies to approximately 40,000 people in Cork, Limerick, Kerry and Tipperary. Supplies to a further 30,000 people are at risk due to low reservoir levels.

Head of Water Operations Margaret Attridge said: “We are urging households, businesses and farmers to protect outside taps and to insulate exposed pipes and tanks which are particularly vulnerable to freezing.

“We are asking people to check for leaks and to turn off water to exterior pipes or unoccupied premises. “

Irish national weather forecaster Met Éireann has warned of very cold nights over the coming days with widespread frost and ice with temperatures struggling to get above freezing during the day.

There is currently a Status Yellow Countrywide warning for Low Temperature/Ice, valid until Thursday 12pm,

Met Éireann said potential Impacts included hazardous travelling conditions on roads and underfoot and travel disruption

The Republic’s National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) met virtually on Sunday morning with Taoiseach Simon Harris and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien being updated on the situation.

The NECG is due to meet again on Monday.

The weather is to turn drier and brighter mid-week.

The Met Office said it was safer not to drive in icy conditions, but recommends a number of precautions that drivers should take it if is necessary:

• Looking well ahead for potential hazards and keep your speed down
• Accelerating, braking, steering and changing gear as smoothly as possible to reduce the risk of a skid
• Using a higher gear may be more appropriate to help grip on packed ice
• Using a higher gear helps manage engine power making it easier to find traction

Cyclists have also been urged to stick to main roads, which are more likely to have been treated, and for all road users to leave more time to complete their journey.

NI Water has reminded the public to be aware of the risk of frozen pipes, as they pose a risk to properties and possessions.

Advice includes wrapping your pipes and water tanks up, fixing dripping taps, knowing how to turn off your property’s stop tap, checking your central heating boiler has been serviced and leaving the heating on low if you are going away.