A PENSIONER has been left in the cold after her postcode made her unfit for a winter weather payment.

The Department for Work and Pensions have doled out cold weather payments based on postcodes.

And those living in HD4, HD5 and HD6 have missed out despite neighbouring villages receiving the payment in full.

Margaret Walker, 81, of Dalton, has previously received the extra funding but this year has been left struggling all because of her HD5 postcode.

She said: "I have really struggled to get by and I don’t really know how they can simply do it by our postcode.

"I can’t imagine that the other places are any colder than Dalton? They are only down the road.

"It has been difficult to survive without the payment as I have come to rely on it during the winter.

"None of my friends in Dalton have received the payment either and it is very hard for us all. We have tried to manage the best we can on our pensions.

"It is wrong to give it to other people yet not to us."

According to DWP, the reason the postcode areas of HD4, HD5 and HD6 are linked to the Sheffield weather station, which to date has not triggered any Cold Weather Payments this winter.

The postcode area HD3 is linked to the Bingley weather station, which so far this winter has triggered two cold weather Payments for the periods January 29 to February 4 and February 5 to February 11.

A DWP spokeswoman said: "Every residential postcode in the country is linked to one of the 92 Met Office weather stations used in the scheme.

"Cold Weather Payments are designed to help people who get certain income-related benefits with their increased heating costs caused by periods of very cold weather during winter."

A period of very cold weather is when the temperature is recorded as an average of 0°C or below or forecast to be below 0°C for seven consecutive days.

She continued: "Each postcode district is assigned to a station with the most similar climate in terms of 1971-2000 mean winter temperature and therefore the assigned station is not necessarily the nearest one."

Clr Rochelle Parchment has been discussing the issue with Mrs Walker.

She said: "Several residents in Dalton have contacted me about this

"It seems ludicrous that even though people are living just streets apart, some are eligible and others are not.

"There must be a better system."