National Lottery winner yet to claim huge £1million and could lose it in hours

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A frantic hunt is under way for a mystery lottery ticket holder who scooped a massive £1million prize but has yet to come forward.

The National Lottery operator Allwyn is appealing to anyone who purchased a Lotto ticket in the London Borough of Richmond for the draw held on Wednesday, August 19, to dig out their ticket and double-check their numbers immediately.

The lucky winner remains completely unaware of their seven-figure windfall, which was secured nearly a month ago.

With a critical deadline looming this Friday, the urgency to locate the ticket holder has intensified significantly.

The winning numbers drawn that evening were 4, 8, 10, 17, 23 and 28, with 16 as the Bonus Ball.

To land the £1million prize, the ticket holder successfully matched five of the six main numbers along with the Bonus Ball.

Tragically, they fell just one number short of the jackpot itself.

Despite the draw taking place almost a month ago, nobody has stepped forward to collect the substantial sum.

Allwyn is now urging every person who bought a Lotto ticket in the Richmond area around that date to carefully re-examine their numbers, as the rightful winner may have simply overlooked their ticket or forgotten about the purchase entirely.

Toby Moxham, Head of Winners' Services at Allwyn, said the search was drawing inspiration from the hit television series Ted Lasso, which centres on the fictional football club AFC Richmond.

He said: "If Ted Lasso has taught us anything, it's the power of believing. Someone in Richmond has hit the back of the net with their Lotto numbers and is sitting on £1million.

"Just imagine discovering that a ticket you bought weeks ago is worth seven figures. That's exactly what could happen for a Lotto player in the London Borough of Richmond."

Mr Moxham added: "We're calling on everyone who bought a ticket in the area for the August 19 draw to give it another check.

"Speak to your friends, family, colleagues and neighbours, we believe we can find our missing winner, but we need the public to help us."

While the overall deadline for claiming the prize does not expire until February 15 2027, a far more pressing cut-off point arrives this Friday, September 18.

Anyone who no longer has their physical ticket in hand, whether it has been lost, damaged or discarded, but who genuinely believes they are the rightful winner must submit a written claim to Allwyn within 30 days of the original draw date.