HALF of the Oxfordshire pensioners who are entitled to extra money to help pay their winter heating bills are missing out.

People receiving a number of benefits are entitled to an extra £25 cold weather payment when temperatures fall to 0C or below for a seven-day period, between November 1 and March 31.

But, out of about 18,000 pensioners in the county, according to Government figures, 8,980 do not claim for pension credit, which means they miss out on the cold weather payments.

Janet Cullup, 77, from Bicester, is a volunteer for Help the Aged and said people should make sure they receive the money.

She said: “I have spoken to lots of people about this and a lot of women said ‘my husband won’t let me’ and ‘if my husband was alive today, I don’t think he would let me’.

“I think it’s a generational thing. In my age group, if your husband can’t support you, it reflects on him and you don’t need any charity.

“These people are being fools to themselves, I know it’s bad saying it, but it’s pride too.”

Jonathan Keen, 57, is entitled to cold weather payments because he receives mobility allowance. He said many other people may not realise they qualify for help.

He said: “At the moment I have the radiators on full pelt and the storage heaters aren’t that great, so I’m paying £70 a month for electricity – £25 certainly comes in handy.”

Mr Keen has lived in sheltered housing in Queen Emma’s Dyke, Witney, for the past two years and has received two cold weather payments in the past four weeks.

Meanwhile, Michael Rawlings, 74, of Sawpit Road, Blackbird Leys, said: “I have had my payment, but those pensioners who don’t get it will need a cold weather payment to at least warm themselves up. I think they deserve it and if they’re entitled to it, they should have it.”

Some pensioners could also qualify for extra fuel payments, between £125 and £400, depending on their situation.