TENS of thousands of people will be eligible for the government's cold weather payments after being hit by the Beast from the East.

After the Arctic storm brought snow and freezing temperatures to the UK in the first few days of March, 36,000 households in the area of the East Dorset weather station, including in Bournemouth and Poole, will receive a £25 payment.

The cold snap and subsequent fall of snow and freezing rain caused widespread disruption, particularly on the main roads and railways.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) triggers payments to 'vulnerable' people if the temperature is forecast to go below zero for seven consecutive nights.

This is the first time this winter a cold weather payment has been triggered in Dorset.

The Met Office measures UK temperatures at 94 weather stations throughout the UK, and provides this data to the DWP, which says eligible households will be paid within 14 working days of a cold snap.

The weather station covering the area is based at Hurn.

The latest figures show households in the area covered by Hurn station will receive a total of £900,000 for the week ending March 2.

The government expects to pay out a total of £50 million to around two million households nationally following the extreme cold snap, the largest weekly sum for five years. Payments go to older people, disabled adults, and households who receive benefits such as Jobseeker's Allowance.

The DWP calculates weekly estimates of the number of Cold Weather Payments based on Met Office weather reports and the demographics of the local area.

Government estimates show an anticipated 3.6 million cold weather payments for the winter so far, costing around £90.7m.

The data covers the week ending March 2.

The data for the week of Storm Emma will be released in a few days, which is likely to mean further payments in some areas.