Almost £300,000 has been claimed by a Lottery ticket holder in Ashford after Camelot appealed for the lucky winner to come forward.

The news of the unclaimed sum - £284,335 - was posted on the Kentish Express website yesterday morning.

By lunchtime news came from Camelot that someone had come forward to claim the money, the result of achieving five correct numbers and the bonus ball on May 20.

A National Lottery spokesman said: “We are delighted that the winner of this prize has now come forward and we hope that they will enjoy their win.

“It would have been awful if the ticket-holder had missed out on this substantial and life-changing amount of money.

“We would like to remind all National Lottery players to check their tickets every time they play.”