Hundreds claim to have winning £33m lottery ticket

Hundreds of people have contacted the National Lottery to say they correctly chose the winning six numbers in the recent £66m draw but either lost or damaged their tickets.

One undamaged winning ticket has already been produced, entitling Scottish couple David and Carol Martin to half the jackpot, and lottery organiser Camelot knows the other winning ticket was sold in Worcester.

Now they have been bombarded with claims from people saying they have won the other half of the prize.

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Camelot said: "We have received hundreds of claims of this nature, given the interest in the missing £33m ticket-holder. If the player can provide sufficient evidence, we will investigate and consider the validity of the claim.

"This may include where and when the ticket was bought, how the numbers were chosen, how many lines played and other relevant information."

Former CID officer John Plimmer told the Daily Mirror that attempting to trick Camelot into paying out a share would be a crime, whether the attempt was successful or not.

"If there is evidence someone deliberately tried to con Camelot to get their hands on £33m, then obviously that's a crime," he said.

"They wouldn't have to successfully claim the money to be found guilty. Anyone convicted could be looking at a heavy custodial sentence."

Among the claims is that of Worcester grandmother Susanne Hinte, who produced a ticket she says went through the wash. Camelot is examining her ticket but will not make a ruling until July.

Hinte's family say the winning numbers - 26, 27, 46, 47, 52 and 58 - can all still be read on her washed ticket. The date and barcode of the ticket are not visible, however.

She has told friends the stress of her potential win had "taken my life away" and that she had not left her house for four days, said the Mirror.