Lottery winner finds lost ticket day before it expires

One punter came within hours of missing out on a £52,000 lottery jackpot.

James Wilson had no idea he'd matched five numbers in a EuroMillions draw back in March.

Despite Camelot repeatedly publishing details of the missing ticket in the media, it was only when Wilson noticed a lottery ticket in an old wallet that he decided to check if he'd won.
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'It was purely luck I found it'

"I called Camelot straight away but, because it was so late in the evening, their lines were closed until the morning," the 28-year-old told The Express.

"I can't tell you how relieved I was when I got through to someone the following morning and they confirmed that I wasn't too late to claim my prize.

"When I met with The National Lottery adviser, he told me that Camelot had been publishing details of the missing ticket through the press for the past six months.

"But I had no idea. It was purely luck that I stumbled upon the ticket before it expired."

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'I'll keep playing the lottery'

The warehouse worker, who recently got married but still lives with his parents, has big plans for his winnings.

"This win will make such a massive difference to us," he said. "We worked hard and managed to save up for our wedding but couldn't afford our own house too. Now we can start house hunting and hopefully afford a couple of treats along the way."

Wilson also plans to buy his wife a new car, and get back into bike racing.

Despite the handy win, he has no plans to stop playing EuroMillions whenever there is a rollover.

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