THE North East is one of the luckiest places to live if you want to win the Lottery, new figures show.

Statistics from The National Lottery reveal that over the past ten years, Durham, Cleveland Sunderland and Newcastle postcodes all feature in the top ten luckiest places to live in the UK based on the number of major prizes of £50,000 plus won per person.

Darlington meanwhile is 20th on the list being home to 170 winners, the most recent of whom were the TA Battalion Syndicate who scooped a Lotto draw prize of £104,236 in February 2012.

Retired miner Thomas Harwood from County Durham won £1m on the EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle in April 2011.

The 74-year-old from Ferryhill said: “I didn’t check my ticket until several days after the draw, when I saw the number I couldn’t believe it, I was no good, I just couldn’t talk.”

His first purchase was a caravan but he soon sold it as he said it was not for him.

He gave money to his family to buy a new home but he decided to stay in his bungalow.

Mr Harwood said: “I have very good neighbours and am very happy here.

“It changed all our lives, we have had holidays and been able to enjoy things.”

A National Lottery spokesperson said: “Congratulations to the people of the North East.

"The region has had many major prize winners since the National Lottery began and nationally it has some of the luckiest postcodes in the UK.”