LIGHTNING has struck twice in the space of a few months after workers at a North-East steel plant scooped £1m on the Euromillions.

The 27-strong syndicate from SSI, near Redcar, secured their winnings when their ticket was pulled out during the EuroMillions UK Millionaire Raffle draw on New Year's Eve.

And some of the lucky winners will be celebrating at work tomorrow (Monday, January 6) when they pick up their share of the bumper cheque and tell how they plan to spend their newfound wealth.

In September, there was Champagne corks popping all over the place when 30 of their colleagues won nearly £300,000 when their numbers came up.

The team of electricians only realised they had won the cash four days after the draw when syndicate leader Edward Phoenix eventually got round to checking the numbers.

He had left the winning ticket at work over the weekend and, despite taking it home on the Monday, he still did not check the numbers until the Tuesday morning.

The 57-year-old had the joy of letting everyone know they were set to share £288,743.10 after putting on their regular 15 lines a week.

Meanwhile, a couple who cut short their holiday in the Yorkshire Dales during bad weather, won £1m after returning home early and buying a lottery ticket.

Bernard Grundy, 71 and Heather Clarke, 62, a retired teacher, decided to abandon their holiday in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, early after a forecast for bad weather, and returned home to Hull to avoid difficult driving conditions.

As a result of their early return home, on New Years Eve, they bought a EuroMillions lottery ticket which won them 1m. The couple now plan to return to Wensleydale to buy a house in the dale with their winnings.

Mr Grundy, a retired garden centre worker, said he wouldn't have bought the ticket if they hadn't returned home.