Nervous wait for UK grandmother of four after lottery ticket ends up in wash

An English woman who has claimed she has the missing £33 million winning lottery ticket but put it through the wash has been named.

Susanne Hinte, a grandmother of four, came forward after it was announced that the winning numbers had been selected in Worcester and residents had been told to “check down the side of sofas”.

The woman claims the paper slip went through the washing machine in the pocket of a pair of jeans.

She says the numbers are visible but faded.

She presented the tattered remains to Ambleside News, where she said she bought it.

Ms Hinte was at home “in floods of tears”.

Her daughter Natasha Douglas, 28, said: “My mum has a heart condition. She was in intensive care in August. She’s already had begging letters from people asking for money.

“She works and has worked all her life but I’m not saying what she does.

“She has two children and four grandchildren.

“If she has won she wants to set her family up for life and she plans to give some money to charity. She’s said if she is the winner, great. But if she’s not the winner, she’s not the winner.”

Susanne Hinte told The Times: “I’ve been a nervous wreck. I haven’t slept ... since I found it in my jeans pocket, my daughter and I have been drying it out with the hairdryer. You can see 2016 but not the date.”

A Camelot spokeswoman confirmed it is aware of the case and said any claim has to be made in writing.

“She has to go through the same process as anybody else,” she added.

“They basically need to submit a claim in writing within 30 days of the draw stating where they bought it, the time, date, and any other details they can provide.

“We get quite a few of these, we get them with any unclaimed prizes and with this being quite a large amount we would expect several claims.”

No decision will be made by Camelot until 180 days after the draw was made, the time given anyone with an intact ticket to come forward.

Ms Douglas added: “The ticket has been through the wash, the numbers are visible but faded.

“She wanted to stay anonymous but obviously her name has got out through people talking on Facebook.

“When she found out she had the winning numbers she couldn’t breathe and she hasn’t slept since.”