TEST Valley Borough Council has reminded residents who are entitled to a £400 energy support voucher to remember to claim it.

Traditional prepayment meter customers will be provided with Energy Bill discount vouchers from the first week of each month, issued via SMS text, email or post, using the registered contact details.

The council advised residents to check their post in case they have missed the delivery.

These customers will need to take action to redeem these at their usual top-up point, such as their nearest local PayPoint or Post Office branch.

In all cases, no household should be asked for bank details at any point.

The Post Office, the UK's biggest voucher processor, said only 60 per cent of those eligible had redeemed the credits so far, which are valid for 90 days.

The government urged consumers to use the credit as soon as possible.

Adam Scorer, chief executive of the charity National Energy Action, said: “One of the least surprising outcomes from the Energy Bills Support Scheme is that people on older pre-payment meters are most likely to miss out.

“They may not know that the scheme exists, be reluctant to open letters from suppliers, miss the email, or can’t print the voucher off.

“Having the support in place is, of course, vital. Making sure people can and do access it is just as important.”