Postcode anomaly raises its head yet again
TEMPERATURES in Foulden failed to rise above freezing for seven days last month yet the Government's cold weather payments will not be received by eligible residents unlike their neighbours up the road in Chirnside.
Once again Berwickshire residents with a Berwick TD15 post code have found themselves on the wrong side of the border. Specified meteorological office weather stations are used to obtain this information and unfortunately residents with a TD15 postcode will not get the 25 their near neighbours will receive because the station used for that area did not measure low enough temperatures on sufficient consecutive days.
A Foulden resident who checked the temperature in his greenhouse every day for seven days reports that it never rose above -1. When he realised people in Chirnside had received letters telling them about their extra cold weather payments he contacted the pension centre only to be told that the payments were issued according to post codes and TD15 didn't qualify.
MSP John Lamont is now urging the UK Government to intervene to help Berwickshire residents affected by the anomaly in the allocation of postcodes which has been raised repeatedly over the years, from insurance premiums to confusion over whether they should ring English or Scottish out of hours NHS services.
Mr Lamont said: "The issue of some of my constituents living in Scotland but being assigned an English postcode is not new. I have been in contact with Royal Mail over the inconvenience this causes but they have so far refused to act.
"However, it is now clear that a number of residents have been denied the cold weather payment because of their inaccurate postcode. I have therefore written to the UK Government asking them to intervene on behalf of my constituents."
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Weather for Duns
Thursday 23 May 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 5 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 3 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North east
