Honiton man takes more than 10 weeks to discover why benefit payment was not in his account.

AFTER more than 10 weeks, the Department for Work and Pensions has told a Honiton man that no winter fuel payments were due for East Devon residents in January.

Stephen Hannay, of Streamers Meadows, was expecting to receive �25 after getting a letter on January 5 saying he was entitled to the cash.

The 61-year-old complained when the payment did not reach his bank account.

When the payment was still not received, he contacted local MP Neil Parish and The Midweek Herald.

Now civil servants have got to the bottom of his query.

“No payment was due in January, but I received four winter fuel payments at the end of last year,” said Mr Hannay.

“It took all that time to sort out.

“I would not have chased it from day one - if they had told me a I wasn’t due a payment.

“Surely, we have got to have a better system than this? Ten weeks?”

Mr Hannay added: “I was given false hope. Is this a system we can rely on and trust?”