MOST of us would go quite a long way to get £10,000 a month for the next 30 years.
But one lucky lotto winner is on the verge of losing just that if they don’t claim their prize in the next week.
The winning ticket will expire on April 22, if the hefty cash sum is not claimed beforehand.
It was purchased on October 24, 2024, and won the top prize in the National Lottery’s Set For Life draw.
The winning numbers were 2, 11, 29, 37, 45 and Life Ball 6.
The unclaimed cash has sparked a mini-manhunt in Sevenoaks, Kent, where the winning ticket was purchased.
Residents of the town have seen a giant replica of the National Lottery Set For Life winning ticket, along with oversized newspapers, reminding the town of the money at stake.
This is the second major effort by the National Lottery to scout the winner, after the group tried to track down the winner at Sevenoaks train station last month.
Commuters were met with bespoke signs, special announcements voiced by a previous winner and messages displayed on the platforms’ electronic information boards reminding the winner of their prize.
Kathy Garrett, who advises winners of the National Lottery, said: “This kind of prize not only transforms the life of the winner, it’s typically life-changing for their loved ones too.
“With just days to go, we’re doing everything in our power to make sure this mystery person or syndicate comes forward, so they can enjoy the endless possibilities this prize offers.”
She added: “We once had a very fortunate builder who came forward not long before his ticket was due to expire.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Brazen moment store clerk helps customer swipe $15,000 worth of lottery tickets – he pocketeted thousands in bogus wins” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6371263256112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“He won over £50 million and had left the winning ticket in the sun visor of his work van. I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to search the places you’d least expect.”
Meanwhile, 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 National Lottery-funded projects across the UK.
“This will add to the £30 million-plus raised every week by National Lottery players to make a difference in every community across the country.”
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D112495%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]The search for the mystery Sevenoaks winner comes after a £500,000 jackpot was left unclaimed last year.
The unknown ticket-holder from Redditch, Worcestershire never came forward to collect his huge Thunderball prize, despite attempts to find them.
Similarly, many previous winners have lost their winnings after throwing their tickets in the bin, leaving them forgotten in their glovebox, or having them just somehow vanish into thin air.
Martyn Tott from Watford, Hertfordshire, missed out on a £3m lottery jackpot after he lost his ticket.
Despite computer records proving the ticket was his, Martyn – then aged 25 – lost out on the cash as he couldn’t show his physical slip.
The purchasing manager and his wife Kay only realised they had won six months after the numbers were called, at which point they couldn’t find the ticket they bought.
Going to their local Londis, they proved via its records that they had purchased the winning ticket in 2001 but were still refused the money after 45 agonising days of waiting.
This all came as they hadn’t registered the loss of the paper slip within 30 days.
Devastated by the loss, his marriage to Kay quickly broke down and he briefly joined a Christian cult in the US as his life spiralled out of control.
Martyn told the Mail on Sunday: “Having that money taken away was torture.
“For a long time I lost sight of who I was and what I believed in.”
