AN OXFORDSHIRE resident could have missed out on £1m after a winning lottery ticket holder ran out of time to claim their prize.

The deadline for a winning EuroMillions ticket bought in West Oxfordshire on January 29 passed at midnight on Sunday, with the money instead going to National Lottery-funded projects.

Players have 180 days to claim their prize after every draw, but Andy Carter, senior winners’ advisor at The National Lottery, revealed the money would be put to good use.

He said: “We tried very hard to find the ticket-holder and it’s a real shame that they have missed out, but there is still one winner – the nation.

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"This money, and all the interest earned over the 180 days, will now go to benefit projects all over the UK funded by The National Lottery.”

The winning numbers on the unclaimed ticket were XHRG26506.

Players raise an average of £30m every week for lottery-funded projects, with cash going to initiatives in the arts, sports, heritage, health, education, environment, charity and voluntary sectors.

More than 500 projects in West Oxfordshire have received funding since the Lottery began in 1994.

There are currently 15 unclaimed tickets bought from all over the UK, with several £1m prizes up for grabs.

Camelot UK Lotteries Limited, operator of The National Lottery, has urged all players to check their tickets on a regular basis.

A list of all unclaimed prizes is available at national-lottery.co.uk/results/unclaimed-prizes