A NORTH-East resident could be sitting on a National Lottery prize of more than £225,000.

The ticket, worth £225,081, has yet to be claimed and was bought in Northumberland.

The search is now on to find the owner of the winning ticket who matched five numbers and the bonus ball in the Lotto draw on Valentine’s Day – February 14, 2015.

The winning Lotto numbers on that date were 7, 20, 23, 29, 40, 46 and the bonus ball was 22. The lucky ticket-holder has until 13 August, 2015 to claim their prize.

If no-one comes forward with the winning ticket before the prize claim deadline, then the prize money, plus all the interest it has generated, will go to help National Lottery-funded projects across the UK. 

A National Lottery spokesperson said: “We’re eager to find the mystery ticket-holder and unite them with their winnings – this amazing prize could really make a huge difference to somebody’s life. We’re urging everyone who bought a Lotto ticket in this area to check their old tickets again or look anywhere a missing ticket could be hiding.

“Try checking in the pockets of clothing, in wallets, bags and down the back of the sofa – someone out there could literally be sitting on a fortune! We have the champagne on ice and our fingers crossed that the lucky winner comes forward to claim their win.”

Anyone who believes they have the winning ticket for any of the National Lottery draws within the 180-day deadline should call the National Lottery Line on 0845 910 0000.