Greengrocer thought he'd won £2.50 on lottery, not £250,000

Mike Skipsey, who turned 80 in March, said he always believed he was born lucky and now plans to use some of his winnings improving his beloved back garden.

But, betraying a hint of the type of misplaced punctuation for which greengrocers are renowned, Mr Skipsey said he initially thought the figure was wrong.

“As I scratched it, I could not believe what I was seeing,” he said. “I just thought, this cannot be right – it must be £2.50.”

The grandfather of eight bought his winning Hot Money ticket at a local garage as he picked up the morning papers.

He said: “ I just felt lucky and this particular scratch card caught my eye.

“I got my papers and then went home. I made a cup of tea and then sat down to scratch the card.

“When it was confirmed I really was a winner and I had won a quarter of a million pounds, I just started to shake – and I don’t think I have stopped.”

Mr Skipsey says he will give some of his winnings to his family, and also treat himself to a replacement for his ten year-old Vauxhall Vectra.

But he said his children Andrew, 54, Shauna, 50, and Heather, 50, did not at first believe he had won.

He said: “I’m known as a bit of a joker, so naturally they thought I was pulling their legs.”

Mr Skipsey added: “Family is so important to me. I want to give them a helping hand and a chance to give them whatever they want, whether that’s a holiday or money towards a deposit on a house.

“I’ve always said I was born lucky and that good things will happen to good people, but I couldn’t believe that I’d ever win on the National Lottery. This win is going to open up so many doors for my family.”