Applications for a Stormont scheme to give eligible households a £100 voucher towards home heating oil costs are now open.

About 340,000 lower-income households are expected to qualify for the payment which was first announced in March.

Applications will made via the NIdirect government website from Wednesday 9 September.

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said the process was "easy and fast".

"The digital prepaid card will go some way to meeting the challenge of rising fuel costs and will benefit those who need it most as we head into the colder months."

About two thirds of Northern Ireland households use home heating oil, by far the highest proportion of any UK region.

Unlike gas or electricity, the heating oil market is unregulated, meaning increases in wholesale costs are rapidly passed through to consumers.

At the start of the Iran conflict, that saw prices almost double in a matter of days.

Prices have since fallen back from their peak but are still around 50% higher than before the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

Lyons said: "I realise this one-off support will not by itself remedy the issue of long term fuel poverty, however I hope that it will go some way to easing the burden on hard-pressed households across Northern Ireland."

Successful applicants for the Home Heating Oil Support Scheme are expected to receive a payment card within 10 working days of applying.

There will be one card per address, and it will be set up so it can only be used at participating oil suppliers.

The scheme will be open for applications until 31 March 2027.

It is open to households with a combined income of £30,000 or less, or those on certain benefits including pension credit and PIP.

It is expected that 75% or more of applications will be processed automatically.

However, some people will have to provide additional information to show they qualify.

That is likely to include lower paid self-employed people who are not claiming any benefits.

Consumer Council for Northern Ireland chief executive Noyona Chundur said: "With household budgets continuing to be stretched by ongoing cost pressures, this support can help ease some of the financial burden and contribute towards the cost of home heating oil which has gone up in price over the last few days."