THOUSANDS of residents in South Lakeland have received their £150 energy rebate.

South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) said it has made the payment to more than 20,000 people so far who pay council tax by Direct Debit.

Last week, the council said it would write to those who do not pay by Direct Debit this month to invite them to fill out a form for the payment.

Read more: When South Lakeland residents can expect their £150 energy rebate

An SLDC spokesman said: “We have now made this payment to more than 20,000 customers who pay their Council Tax by Direct Debit.

“If you are one of the small number of customers who pay by Direct Debit but have not received £150 in your bank account yet, this is because further checks are needed before we can make the payment.

“We are only able to make a payment where we are satisfied that the household is eligible and where the name on the bank account details that we hold matches the name of the person on the Council Tax bill.

“Please be assured that we are working through these checks so that we can make the rest of the payments as soon as possible.

“We appreciate your patience in doing this. Please note that any communication from us about this will come in a letter - we are not calling taxpayers to ask for bank details.”