A COUNTY Durham farm worker is keeping his feet firmly on the ground after scooping more than £170,000 on The National Lottery.

Phillip Williams, of Barnard Castle, plans to save his winnings from Saturday's Lotto draw to build himself a nest-egg for his retirement.

The 46-year-old says his only extravagance may be a trip abroad to see his uncle in America and aunt and two cousins in Australia.

"There's no point blowing it straight away, I'm investing it in my pension so I can enjoy life after work," he said.

Mr Williams' mother, Kathleen, bought the winning ticket from Morrisons, in Bishop Auckland, and checked the numbers on television- discovering her son's ticket matched five numbers and the bonus ball.

He said: "She waited up until 12.15am when I came home from the pub to tell me the good news.

"When I realised I had won I was surprisingly calm - I think it hasn't propoerly sunk in yet but I am a laid-back person."

"I'm a keen quoits player with Bowes Working Men's Club and even went out for a game on Sunday afternoon after I discovered I'd won.

"Unfortunately, my luck had run out and I lost my match."