A LUCKY lottery winner has claimed their £130,000 prize — less than two weeks before the deadline.

The ticket was bought in Bury for the Lotto HotPicks draw on August 4 last year and won the top prize by matching five numbers.

But the prize had not been claimed and the Bury Times printed an article last Thursday urging people to check their tickets before the deadline of January 31.

Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd, operator of the National Lottery, announced on Monday that the winner had come forward.

They have so far chosen not to be named publicly.

A National Lottery spokesman said: “We’re delighted that the winner of this amazing prize has now come forward and we hope that they will enjoy their win.

“It would have been awful if the ticket-holder had missed out on this substantial and life-enhancing amount of money.”