GARDENER Jacob Hodge beat odds of as much as 400 MILLION to one with a double win on National Lottery scratchcards that made him a millionaire.

The 26-year-old picked up two 20X scratchcards at the West End Co-op in Caldicot and was delighted to win his £10 stake back with the first card and so decided to buy a second — which contained the top prize.

There were three cards with a £1m prize among the 10,998,650 printed with two ways to win — one a £50,000 pay-out multiplied by 20, giving odds of nearly 11m-1, and two straight six-figure sums each at odds of 5,499,325-1, while the £10 prize came with odds of either 18-1 or 36-1.

The odds of having a pair of winning cards are calculated by multiplying the chances of the two unrelated events with each other.

Even the lowest combination made the odds of two winning cards 98,987,850-1, just short of 100m-1, while the highest combination mean beating odds of 395,951,400-1.

And the win will transform life for Jacob who will finally be able to afford a house for himself, girlfriend Aimee Dayment and their son, three.

Jacob has been living at mum Amanda’s home and was on his way back from dropping off a pram there when he popped into the Co-op in Newport Road.

He said: “It hasn’t sunk in yet, but mum, Aimee and our son will be getting lots of treats.”

He has also treated himself to his dream car, an Audi RS3 saloon, to replace his nine-year Seat Leon, and will splash out £3,000 on getting his smile fixed with teeth whitening.

Jacob, who set up Caldicot-based Garden Force with mate Lee Griffiths just a fortnight ago, says the Vauxhall Combo van and tools he and Lee had invested in with the last of their savings, are now all Lee’s to keep.

Lee was the first to hear Jacob’s good news but he was convinced his mate was pulling his leg.

He then tried his girlfriend of five years, Aimee, but the nursery nurse was still in work and then mum Amanda.

Jacob said: “I went straight to Cardiff Audi the same day as finding out I won and after a place for us to live, I’ll be getting my teeth sorted!

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while – getting the brightest white you can have – but £3,000 has always seemed a bit much, when there’s been so much else we’ve needed. Not anymore! I just can’t believe it.

“I still feel quite sick about the win really, not like I would have ve expected to feel at all. It still hasn’t sunk in, although I’ve always said to the boys that I will have a win. It feels unreal.”