Suzanne Duffy's dream Lotto win to pay for a family holiday in America turned into a nightmare over a ticket mix-up
Lottery losers - Suzanne and Mark Duffy, whose numbers came up on Wednesday's National Lottery draw but the winning ticket had been entered for Saturday's draw Picture: ADRIAN RUSHTON
The Wednesday night ticket, bought earlier that evening from the Naafi Spar in Colchester, was a last chance to pay for a dream trip to the USA for Suzanne and the family.
And when five of their numbers came up they couldn't believe their luck.
But amid the celebrations, the family discovered a mistake by the store - the dream ticket was in fact registered for the Saturday draw, leaving Suzanne in tears.
Suzanne, of Colchester, said: "I was crying my eyes out. I have been playing the lottery since day one and this was the one and only time my numbers have come up. I just won and lost the money in the same night."
The five numbers would have netted the family about £1,420, enough to pay for flights and car hire, plus some cash left over for spending money.
Suzanne accepts she should have checked the tickets, but is upset at Spar's lack of sympathy for her.
A spokesman for Spar said: "We can appreciate the customer's concerns but the rules state it is the player's responsibility to check the ticket, and they have a two-hour period within buying it to correct the situation."
Published Friday July 30, 2004
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