£33m Lotto ticket 'could have been put in washing machine'

Half of a £66m lotto jackpot still remains unclaimed but a woman claims she put the lucky ticket through the wash.

The woman claims she matched all the winning numbers left the ticket in a jeans pocket which went through the washing machine.

She presented the tattered remains to Ambleside News in Warndon, Worcester, on Friday, where she said she bought it.

Natu Patel, who owns the newsagent, said: "The lady came in yesterday, she was rather nervous."

Mr Patel added: "We had to make sure she had the ticket with her. She told me the ticket had been in the wash and Camelot has said she has to send it through to them in writing.

"She showed it to me, because it's been in the wash the ticket has slightly faded but hopefully they can sort it out.

"We put the ticket in card and in plastic to protect it and she has posted it off to Camelot. It's up to them to verify it and hopefully pay her."

On Thursday, Camelot confirmed that the winning ticket had been bought in Worcester.

Two tickets matched the winning numbers which were 26,27,46,47,52 and 58, to share the record-breaking jackpot on Saturday January 9.

Husband and wife David and Carol Martin, both 54, from Hawick in the Borders, came forward as the joint winners last week.

The other winning ticket holder has until Thursday July 7 to claim the cash or it will go to National Lottery projects.

A Camelot spokeswoman said she could not confirm or deny whether anyone had contacted them regarding the ticket.

She said: "We get quite a few of these, we get them with any unclaimed prizes and with this being quite a large amount we would expect several claims."

In a statement, Camelot said: "Under its licence Camelot has the discretion to pay prizes in respect of stolen, lost or destroyed National Lottery tickets only if the player has submitted a claim in writing within 30 days of the relevant draw.

"If the player can provide sufficient evidence, Camelot will investigate and consider the validity of the claim. Camelot will then determine at its discretion whether the claim is valid and is able to pay the prize 180 days after the draw.

"With all National Lottery draws, players have 180 days from the day of the draw to claim their prize if they have the winning ticket.

"Anyone who has any queries or who believes they have the winning ticket for any of the National Lottery draws within the 180-day deadline should call the National Lottery Line on 0844 338 7551 or email help@national-lottery.co.uk."