Mum says shopkeeper binned her £12m ‘winning lottery ticket’

Kath Main, 46, has been playing the same lottery numbers for 20 years and believes she won the £12million jackpot — but her ticket was allegedly thrown away before she could claim

A mother who is convinced she won a £12million lottery jackpot is facing an agonising wait after claiming her winning ticket was accidentally thrown away by a shopkeeper.

Kath Main, 46, realised the June 6 Lotto jackpot had gone unclaimed and noticed the winning numbers matched the same combination she has used for 20 years.

But the ticket had already disappeared after her mother brought it to a Londis shop in Abercynon, South Wales, to be checked – and was allegedly told it was not a winner.

National Lottery operator Allwyn is now investigating the claim.

Kath, a mother-of-two who works as a rugby club treasurer, said the uncertainty has left her finding it difficult to cope.

“I just feel sick all the time, it’s the not knowing and waiting,” she said.

She explained that her regular numbers are entered by her mother every week.

Kath said she only realised there might be a problem after seeing reports about the unclaimed jackpot.

“I saw there was an unclaimed lottery ticket and checked the numbers and realised they were mine,” she said.

“I rang my mother and said, ‘You did put the lottery on?’ and she said ‘Yeah’.

“I said, ‘Well we’ve won the lottery,’ and she said, ‘I checked and there was no winners’. I said ‘No, it’s a winner, we’ve won’.”

When Kath asked about the ticket’s location, she was told it had been discarded. Café owner Fiona, who had taken the ticket for checking, explained the machine didn’t produce the usual signal and the shop worker told her no winning amount had appeared, reports The Sun.

“He told me, ‘There are no winners, do you want them back?’ And I said if there are no winners then put them in the bin,” she said.

Kath later discovered the rubbish had already been collected and the ticket couldn’t be recovered.

She contacted Allwyn and provided evidence including proof of purchase and doorbell footage from an adjacent hair salon showing her mother’s visit to the shop.

Kath questioned whether there may have been an issue with the machine.

“I said to Allwyn, ‘If it didn’t beep, was it a fault on the machine?'” she said.

“They said it was a possibility but it’s highly unlikely.

“They said it could be human error.”

The Londis shop doesn’t have CCTV as it is currently being renovated.

Owner Karan Kumar said: “The machine could have been playing up. Now they are doing an investigation. It would be amazing if she won.”

Lottery operations at the premises have been suspended while the investigation continues, with the terminal and scratchcards removed.

Allwyn is expected to need up to 30 days to decide whether Kath can receive the prize. She said: “I’m the unluckiest person to win the lottery because I don’t have the money.

“I’m trying not to think about what I’d do with the money in case I don’t get it.”

Should the claim prove successful, Kath revealed that one ambition would be to travel to New Zealand for the Lions rugby tour in 2029.

Fiona explained that if the claim were to fail, the funds would eventually be allocated to charitable causes.

Allwyn confirmed it was investigating the matter, noting it was “the only major lottery that allows players to claim a prize if a winning ticket has been lost, stolen or destroyed”.