The clock is rapidly ticking for a lucky winner to get their hands on a huge lottery jackpot, with just mere hours left for them to claim the life-changing prize.
Its winner is set to receive £10,000 a month for the next 30 – a whopping total of £3.6million.
In a bid to uncover the mystery winner, people have been urged to check their tickets in the likelihood that they could unnowingly be the would-be millionaire.
The winning ticket will contain five numbers – 2, 11, 29, 37, 45, plus the Life Ball 6.
Calling on members of the public to make their final checks to avoid falling short of the momentous win, Kathy Garrett, a winners’ advisor for Allwyn, the National Lottery‘s operator, said: ‘The winning draw took place a week before Halloween, so think about where you were when you were about to carve your pumpkin or preparing for trick or treating.
‘Rummage through your warm coats and double-check that this winning ticket hasn’t inadvertently been stowed away with your hats, scarves and gloves.’
A National Lottery player in Kent won the top prize of £10,000 a month for the next thirty years – but has just a few hours left to claim it
The winning ticket will contain five numbers – 2, 11, 29, 27, 45, plus the Life Ball 6. In a bid to uncover the mystery winner, people have been urged to check their tickets
Lottery players are also being advised to search their vehicles, whilst in Sevenoaks, where the £10,000 a month prize purchase was won, a giant replica of the winning ticket was placed at the train station in March.
Speaking to the BBC, a spokeswoman for National Lottery operator Allwyn said: ‘While the National Lottery is committed to finding the winning ticket-holder, if the prize remains unclaimed the prize money, plus all the interest it has generated, will go to help projects across the UK.
‘This will add to the £30m-plus raised every week to make a difference in every community across the country.’
Players who scoop more than £50,000 in National Lottery winnings are required to claim the money in person by completing a form and providing the winning ticket, together with proof of identity and age.
Failure to do so within 180 days of the draw date results in the forfeiture of the cash – although there is a small window of opportunity to save the situation.
If Allwyn UK, the National Lottery operator, is contacted before the 180-day claim period expires, the winner is granted a further seven days to claim the money in person.
In Sevenoaks, where the £10,000 a month prize was won, a giant replica of the winning ticket was placed at the train station in March
In October 2024, a total of £2.35million in unclaimed lottery prizes remained outstanding, with successful players in the London boroughs of Bromley and Lambeth, alongside in Birmingham, yet to come forward to purchase their lottery prizes.
Ms Garrett confirmed that instances of unclaimed millions are not uncommon, with it likely that winners simply have no idea about their unbelievable stroke of luck.
She even said that a builder claimed a whopping £50,000,000 ticket days before it expired after ‘he had left the winning ticket in the sun visor of his work van.’
In February, 13 ticket-holders became Lotto millionaires, with one winner claiming a £7.4m jackpot on 15 February, the competition said.
Three ticket-holders also shared the £5.3m Lotto jackpot on 26 February, receiving a major £1.7m prize each.
