Pensioner wins £1m on lottery draw and posts winning ticket

A pensioner who has won £1million faces an agonising wait after posting his winning lotto ticket to Camelot. Bernard McHugh, 77, only recently realised he was one of 10 EuroMillions millionaires from a draw on November 12. Instead of phoning to register his claim, he wrote his name and address on the back of his ticket, popped it in an envelope and asked his sister Pat to post it for him.

Later housebound Bernard, of Blackburn, Lancs, told his family what he had done. He said: "I thought that is what you were supposed to do. I saw the address on the back of the ticket and it said winners should contact them so that's what I did. "My family couldn't believe it when I told them I'd won. When they asked where the ticket was and I told them I'd posted it they were shocked." He added: "It will get there. I'm not worried yet."



A relative said: "Bernard is very old-fashioned and doesn't have a mobile phone or internet. Posting your winning lottery ticket would seem a very bizarre thing to do to most people, but not Bernard. He just saw the address on the back of the ticket and thought that was how he claimed his money. He doesn't like speaking to people on the phone so thought notifying Camelot by post was the best thing to do. We have our fingers crossed that the ticket gets there. He's never had much money and this would be life-changing."

A spokesman for Camelot Group, who run the lotteries, said staff at the company's Watford HQ were on the alert to find Bernard's posted ticket. Even if the ticket is lost, Bernard could still scoop his £1million. Camelot can pay winners who lose their tickets if the prize is unclaimed 180 days after the draw date. The spokesman added: "Anyone who has lost a ticket needs to give as much information as possible about where and when they bought it and we can check it against our systems."