AN amazing Lotto prize of £81,698 has yet to be claimed in the Forest of Dean area.

National Lottery players are being urged to check and double-check their tickets for the chance to claim this life-enhancing prize in time.

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 Saturday February 13 – the day before Valentine's Day.

The winning Lotto numbers on that date were 16, 22, 24, 30, 39, 44 and the bonus ball was 9. The lucky ticket-holder has until 5.30pm on Thursday August 12 to make their claim.

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 the Good Causes – adding to the £24 billion already raised through sales of lottery tickets since The National Lottery launched in November 1994.

A National Lottery spokesperson said: "We're desperate to find this 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 to check their old tickets again or look anywhere a missing ticket could be hiding."