A couple has won £250,000 on the National Lottery – and say it was all thanks to them losing their keys.

Michelle Newton and her husband John Simpson from Tunbridge Wells scooped the life-changing prize after buying a £2 scratchcard.

Michelle, 50, explained: “We were off to town in between Christmas and New Year to see the sales, just to mooch really. But we couldn’t find the keys to lock up which made us late.

“On the way back, we popped into the newsagent, later than planned, to pick up a few bits. With the change left, we bought a scratchcard.”

“We immediately scratched the card outside the shop and we just stopped dead in our tracks. I said to John, ‘I can’t believe this is happening’.

“We just stood there in the street, cars whizzing past, shaking, realising we had won.”

The delay caused by the mad scramble for their lost keys meant they bought a scratchcard at a different time from Pages Newsagent’s in Camden Road.

There is a 1 in 3.59 chance of winning a prize on the Gold National Lottery scratchcard, also known as The Gold One.

John, 61, added: “We kept looking at the scratchcard and thinking about what to do next. Michelle said she felt light-headed.

“So instead of going home, we diverted to the local pub, The Black Horse, for a pint before calling to claim our prize.”

The couple, who have been married for nearly three years, both work at Beechwood School in Pembury Road.

Michelle is a teacher of science and religious studies and John is the school caretaker.

Michelle said: “I called and the lady on the end of the phone said it was a winner and that someone would call to sort everything out. I couldn’t stop shaking.

“It was a mad day and to think that if we hadn’t lost our keys, we would have gone into the newsagent’s at a different time and bought a different scratchcard and may never have won a thing.

“Life financially is definitely going to be more comfortable. One thing is for sure, we are never going to moan about losing our keys again.”

The pair plan to spend the money on renovating their home, paying off the mortgage and possibly buying a rental property.

They will also take a trip to Australia to see some of John’s family.

Michelle added: “We are going to treat ourselves with a few things and John has his birthday coming up so we’ll have a joint celebration.

“But the win will allow us to future-proof our lives. We are still in shock, but what I’m looking forward to is being more relaxed about money.

“It’s been a whirlwind few weeks. John hasn’t slept much. Until the lady from the National Lottery turned up we hid the scratchcard in the lining of John’s coat.

“We’d keep getting it out, looking at it over and over. And I still can’t believe we have won."