We may now know why the winner of the other half of the mammoth lottery win from two weeks ago hasn’t been able to claim the prize.

A woman has come forward to claim the £33m National Lottery jackpot – but said the ticket had been washed in a pair of jeans.

The unnamed woman went to a newsagent in Worcester with the ticket bearing the winning numbers, but the date and barcode are illegible, Natu Patel, who runs Ambleside News in Warndon said.

Camelot confirmed on Friday the winning ticket was bought in Worcester.

It has urged the woman to get in touch and send it in within 30 days.

The National Lottery operator said: “If anybody believes they have bought the ticket and think they may have lost it, or washed it in their jeans, or it’s been stolen, they need to make a claim within 30 days.”

The prize money is half the record Lotto jackpot win – shared with a couple from Hawick who claimed their prize within days of the 9 January draw.

The operator has the discretion to pay prizes in respect of stolen, lost or destroyed tickets only if the player has submitted a claim in writing within 30 days of the relevant draw, a spokesman said.

If the player can provide sufficient evidence, Camelot will investigate and determine “at its discretion whether the claim is valid and is able to pay the prize 180 days after the draw.”

The ticket had the winning numbers 26, 27, 46, 47, 52 and 58.

Even though the prize total was shared, the sum is still the biggest win since the National Lottery was launched in November 1994.

Mr Patel said he hoped he had sold the winning ticket.

“It would be win-win in all ways, because it would be very, very good for her and very good for us and for the city of Worcester.

“It would put Worcester on the map once again – instead of the floods.”

Source: BBC News