TWO travel agents are the toast of Puddington - a week after sharing a £118,233 windfall by matching five numbers and the bonus ball on the National Lottery.

Villagers David Hoyle and Philip Clutton share the win with two colleagues at Blue Skies Travel in Ellesmere Port.

After discovering he had won, syndicate leader David had to get his hands on the ticket immediately: "I had left the ticket in the office and we all had photocopies, but when we checked the numbers I just had to get the original," he explained.

"The travel agency is based in the Asda supermarket, so I went along at 9pm and got security to let me in! Even then I was a nervous wreck - I didn't move all day Sunday in case I lost the ticket."

Sunday started with some celebratory champagne before the ticket was hidden - first among David's Calvin Kleins, then in his dressing gown pocket in the bathroom, and finally moved to a book in the bedroom drawer for fear of getting wet!

Fellow Puddington syndicate member Philip Clutton went straight to invest his windfall in shares, while David will probably take a 'busman's holiday' of his own!

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