National Lottery jackpots remain unclaimed with winning tickets just miles apart

A total of £2,000,000 in Lotto winnings remains up for grabs after two separate million-pound prizes went unclaimed in neighbouring parts of the North West.

The tickets, purchased in the Borough of Tameside and Cheshire East for draws held on July 1 and July 4 respectively, have now been unclaimed for nearly a month.

The National Lottery is intensifying its search for the mystery winners, who may still be unaware they have become millionaires.

Allwyn, which operates the National Lottery, is calling on anyone who bought a Lotto ticket from a retailer in either area to thoroughly review their tickets, urging players: "It could be you!"

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The first ticket, bought at a retailer in Tameside for the Wednesday, July 1 draw, matched the round 2 numbers 5, 8, 26, 33, 39 and 42, with a Bonus Ball of 54.

Its holder must come forward by midnight on December 28, 2026.

Three days later, the Saturday, July 4 draw produced 14 new millionaires in total, 10 of them through the Guaranteed Millionaire Raffle.

The second unclaimed ticket, sold in Cheshire East, was among them, bearing the winning raffle code AQUA 0049 1681.

That prize must be claimed before midnight on New Year's Eve 2026.

Both winners could be local residents or visitors who happened to purchase their tickets in the area.

Darren and Laura McGuire from Bolton, whose own million-pound Lotto win last year transformed their lives, are appealing to players in both areas to act.

Mr McGuire said: "Our Lotto win has allowed us to plan our dream wedding, and I have taken a step back from working seven days a week to spend more time with the kids which means more than anything.

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He added: "I still pinch myself that it's real and it actually happened to us."

Andy Carter, Senior Winners' Advisor at Allwyn, stressed the urgency of the situation.

He said: "Right now, there are two £1,000,000, Lotto prizes waiting to be claimed by their rightful owners and the clock is ticking."

Mr Carter encouraged people to rummage through wallets, kitchen drawers and shopping bags.

The search for these two winners comes amid a significant expansion of the Lotto format, which is now expected to produce roughly 345 millionaires annually, up from approximately 140 under the previous system.

Already in 2026, the game has minted 100 millionaires.

Under National Lottery rules, holders of winning tickets have 180 days from the date of the draw to come forward.

National Lottery players collectively contribute around £33million each week to Good Causes-funded projects across the country.

Anyone who believes they may hold a winning ticket, or who has questions about any draw within that window, can contact the National Lottery Line on 0333 234 5050 or email help@national-lottery.co.uk.

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