YORKSHIRE Water is giving a £70 payment to customers who are on its social tariffs to help them with the cost-of-living crisis.

More than 45,000 customers will receive the payment.

It will be applied to accounts automatically – people will not need to contact the company.

Yorkshire Water says the move is part of a series of initiatives it has introduced to help those who are struggling financially. It recently announced a £115m pot of support.

The firm currently operates five financial support schemes and estimates that up to an additional 200,000 low-income households in the region could be eligible for help via its WaterSure or WaterSupport social tariffs.

Angie Markham-Nock, customer support manager with Yorkshire Water, says: "We know that a lot of customers are worried about money at the moment and we’re seeing more people than ever benefit from our financial support schemes. We hope this £70 payment will provide some relief to households across Yorkshire this year.

"We don't want our customers to worry about paying their next bill – our financial support schemes are there to help and can provide some relief to those who need it."

For further information about the schemes, go to yorkshirewater.com/bill-account/help-paying-your-bill.