A MYSTERY punter has written his own happy ending after travelling the region to back the winner of the Man Booker Prize.

The gambler visited 13 Ladbrokes shops in Darlington and Middlesbrough, placing bets of £20 at odds of 5/1 at each one for Richard Flanagan to scoop the prestigious award.

His winnings from Ladbrokes totalled £1,560.

And he could have won more from other bookies in the area, with William Hill confirming a Darlington store also took a £35 bet for the author to win from an unknown customer.

The Australian novelist was announced as the winner of the 2014 prize on Tuesday night for his book, The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

The mystery man is yet to collect his winnings from the Ladbrokes shops.

However, spokeswoman Jessica Bridge said the company was happy to pay out.

"Obviously I cannot share the CCTV with you for legal reasons, but he is middle-aged, with blonde hair and a tan so I can therefore confirm it wasn't Richard Flanagan backing himself," she joked.

Ladbrokes said the author was initially quoted at 16/1 to win the Man Booker when the long list was announced in July.

These odds slipped to 5/1, but the Tees Valley gambler's bets caused the market to "collapse" in the last few days, finishing at 3/1 on Tuesday.

"It looks like a good old-fashioned gamble and we can only doff our cap to his confidence in The Narrow Road to the Deep North," Ms Bridge added.

Judges described the novel as a “magnificent novel of love and war” that tells the harrowing stories of prisoners and captors on the Burma railway.

The author's father was a survivor of Japan’s campaign to build the railway.

He died aged 98 on the day his son emailed the final draft to his publisher after spending 12 years writing the book.

Flanagan receives £50,000 for winning the prize.

* Are you the mystery punter? Tell your story to Joe Willis on 01325-505067 or email joe.willis@nne.co.uk