More than 10,000 Hereford and South Herefordshire families are set to receive £650 to help with the cost-of-living crisis, new figures show.

Families receiving means-tested benefits – including universal credit, jobseeker’s allowance, or child tax credits – are set to automatically receive £326 between July 14 and the end of the month, to help with the cost-of-living crisis.

Another payment of £324 will follow in the autumn.

The Department of Work and Pensions estimate that around 10,200 families are set to receive the payment in Hereford and South Herefordshire.

This comes alongside a £150 payment for those who claim disability benefits, set to be paid in the autumn – with the same figures showing around 8,900 disabled individuals are set to benefit in the area.

Households have been warned energy bills are likely to surge higher in the coming months.

Market researcher Cornwall Insight has said bills could rise from a current record of £1,971 a year, to £3,245 in October and then further to £3,364 at the start of next year.

A recent survey by the Office for National Statistics found around nine in 10 British Adults said their living costs had increased over the previous month.