Bath and North East Somerset pensioners aged 75 and over will benefit from Government-funded free television licences this month.

People who applied before October will receive their licence this month, but later applications will be processed before Christmas, says Wansdyke MP Dan Morris.

The Government has pledged to pay the £104 price of TV licences for all people aged 75 and over.

Around 6,000 households across North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire are expected to qualify for the scheme, states Mr Morris.

Five thousand of those households will be in North East Somerset.

Mr Morris said: "Around half of these are in the bottom three income bands so the scheme will help retired people who need it most."

People waiting for licences to arrive need not panic, says Mr Morris, because their address is considered covered while applications are processed.

For further information about the scheme contact the Over 75 Helpline on (0845) 603 6999 or (0845) 602 3334.