If you regularly play the National Lottery, chances are you keep your ticket in a safe place, just in case your numbers do come up. But with a draw now taking place six days a week, unchecked tickets can pile up, particularly if for example you go on holiday.

One of the most high-profile unclaimed prizes belonged to Chris Jackson of Southend, who discovered an old ticket in his car boot was worth a cool £250,000. But other winners have not been so lucky.

Lottery winners have 180 days from the date of the winning draw to claim their prize. If the money is not claimed, then Lottery operator Camelot puts it into its Good Causes fund. At least one person’s loss is someone else’s gain.

Here are the largest amounts that haven’t been claimed and where the tickets were bought: