Billingham couple walked into shop for pick 'n' mix - and came out £100,000 richer

The couple, from Billingham, stopped at their local Tesco store on the way back from a day trip to Whitby and picked up a scratchcard at the last minute.

Kimberleigh and Dean Aby, who were married at Gisborough Hall last June, can now buy the house they currently rent, take three-year-old daughter Ella on holiday and buy a second car.

Mrs Aby, 26, assistant manager at Barnacles Fish and Chip shop in Yarm, said: “The money is really life changing for us as it means security for life".

“Dean decided to buy a Euromillions ticket so I asked him to buy me a Monopoly scratchcard at the same time. I asked specifically for that £2 one because I thought, you never win on the £1 ones.

“When he got back to the car I scratched off the symbols. I didn’t believe I had won and kept re-reading the rules. Dean went back into the shop to check with his mum, who is one of the managers in Tesco.

“She took it to the till and another lady scanned it and realised it was a winner.

“Dean came back to the car and we were both just screaming, and Ella was in the back crying because she couldn’t work out why we were screaming.”

Mr Aby, an Arriva bus driver on the number seven and 15 routes in Stockton, said he was hoping to take the whole family on holiday to the Canary Islands in November.

He added: “We’ve just had our first couple of days off since the win and went up to the Metro Centre. Ella went mad in the Disney shop and we bought ourselves some clothes.”

The couple will now buy the house they rent from Kimberleigh’s parents, and will be mortgage-free and able to pay all their own bills.

Mr Aby said: “We would have struggled to get a mortgage because didn’t have any money left over to save for a deposit. Now we can buy our house outright.”