Tens of thousands of households in Devon received discount rebates on their electricity bills last winter, recent figures show.

But in June the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced the £150 warm home discount will be extended to another 2.7m households, to help with fuel costs next winter.

This will bring the number of households eligible for the rebates up to just over 6m.

Introduced in 2011, the Warm Home Discount Scheme requires larger energy suppliers to support low-income households with their energy costs through direct £150 rebates on their electricity bills.

DESNZ figures show 33,822 households in Devon received this rebate last winter, representing about nine per cent of households in the area.

Across Britain the Warm Home Discount Scheme delivered discounts to more than 3.2m households last winter, including £5.1m for Devon households.

National Energy Action head of policy Matt Copeland welcomed the increasing number of households receiving rebates across the country, adding the scheme "is a lifeline for households in fuel poverty".

But he warned the value of the rebates is not keeping up with inflation, adding the discount "has only increased by £10 over a period when energy bills have shot up by hundreds of pounds a year".

Changes announced to the Warm Home Discount Scheme include removing some eligibility restrictions, meaning every bill payer on means-tested benefits will qualify.

British Gas Energy Trust chief executive Jessica Taplin welcomed the expansion of the scheme which she said "is a positive step toward alleviating fuel poverty".

A DESNZ spokesperson said: "We are supporting one in five UK households with their energy bills this winter, as we expand the warm home discount to 6 million homes.

"We are also investing £13.2bn to upgrade up to 5m homes over this Parliament, saving households hundreds of pounds on their bills every year."