Lotto hope gone

The deadline for claiming the jackpot prize passed at 5.30pm on Monday, and with no one having come forward the money, plus the interest it has earned, will now go to the Good Causes fund.

A National Lottery spokeswoman said: "We tried very hard to find the ticket-holder and it's a real shame that they have missed out. To avoid this happening again, I'd urge all players to check their tickets regularly."

But she added that the individual's misfortune had been the nation's gain, as in going to Good Causes the money would swell the 24 billion which, in the past 15 years, had benefited many.

"It has funded the biggest programme of civic regeneration seen in the UK since the 19th Century," she said.

With all National Lottery draws, players have 180 days from the day of the draw to claim their prize if they believe they have a winning ticket. They can do so by calling the National Lottery Hotline on 0845 910 0000.

In a bid to find the missing ticket holder, the Lottery Amnesia Patrol was in Bexhill last week hoping to jog people's memories in case they had forgotten buying a ticket or where they had put it for safe-keeping. A second winning ticket worth 251,657, also purchased in the Bexhill area and valid for the draw on December 30 last year, is still unaccounted for.