/ 1 August 2007

Lottery player wins twice … by mistake

A lottery winner doubled his share of the jackpot to nearly £1-million after he mistakenly bought two lucky tickets for the same draw, organisers Camelot said on Wednesday.

Derek Ladner (57) from Cornwall, and his wife Dawn (60), won with their usual numbers in the mid-week draw, sharing the £2,4-million jackpot with four other tickets.

A week later, he found a second identical ticket in his wallet and realised he had absent-mindedly entered twice.

Their double-share of the jackpot is worth just under a £1-million.

The pair have handed in their notice at work and are taking a break to decide how to spend their windfall.

”It’s beginning to sink in,” Ladner told a news conference. ”We are going on holiday first … and then think about what we are going to do for the rest of our lives.” — Reuters