THE hunt for a missing lottery winner in the Wisbech and South Lincs is over- and the winner has been found. They are a couple from the Spalding area who matched five numbers plus the bonus ball with a Lucky Dip ticket and scooped a heart-warming prize of

THE hunt for a missing lottery winner in the Wisbech and South Lincs is over- and the winner has been found.

They are a couple from the Spalding area who matched five numbers plus the bonus ball with a Lucky Dip ticket and scooped a heart-warming prize of �101,823 in the Lotto draw on Valentine's Day.

Chris Gaff (59) and his wife Janet (56) were however, completely unaware of their win until Chris read about the hunt for the missing ticketholder in the press.

Speaking about the discovery, Chris said: "I'd been on a business trip to Zurich during the week and was catching up on the news in our local papers, when I read about the campaign to find a missing Lotto ticket in our area.

"For a while I couldn't even find our ticket, but when I eventually discovered it in a pile of paperwork and began to check the numbers, it gradually dawned on me that I was the 'missing person' and was holding the winning ticket in my hand."

The couple, who have played Lotto regularly since it was launched 14 years ago, haven't yet decided what to do with their winnings, but a holiday is a priority. "We had been saving to take a cruise around Norway, but our win means that we can now go ahead and book it" said Chris. "This year we'll be celebrating 37 years of marriage and we can't think of a more romantic way of spending some of our very special Valentines Day present."

The winning ticket was bought at Laddies Ices on Church Street in Holbeach, near Spalding.

Richard Ladbrook, the managing partner, whose grandfather started Laddies Ices when he began making ice cream more than 80 years ago said: 'We are delighted to have played a part in Chris and Janet's good fortune. We understand they love ice cream so we are more than happy to help them celebrate their luck with their favourite flavours today. We also hope their luck will rub off on many more of our customers in the future".