ONE lucky ticket-holder from south Essex is quietly adjusting to life as a millionaire after coming forward to collect their National Lottery prize.

The Echo reported last month the winning ticket holder from the Castle Point or Basildon area had yet to claim their £1,128,663 prize, after scooping all six numbers in the Lotto draw of Saturday, March 24.

A Camelot representative has now revealed that the winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, had finally submitted their ticket for validation. The deadline for claiming their prize had been set to run out at 5.30pm on September 20.

A National Lottery spokesman said: "We're delighted the winner of this jackpot prize has now come forward and we hope 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 also like to remind all Lotto players to check their tickets every time they play."