THE HOLDER of a previously unclaimed lotto winning ticket has come forward to claim their prize.

National Lottery operator Camelot confirmed the £50,503 prize from a Lotto draw in mid-April, which previously remained outstanding, has now been claimed.

The ticket was sold in the Easington or Peterlee area of County Durham prior to the draw of Wednesday April 15.

But it appears that having now claimed their rightful prize, the winner has chosen to keep a low profile.

A National Lottery spokesperson said: "We're delighted that the winner of this 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.

"We would like to remind all National Lottery players to check their tickets every time they play."

An appeal was put forward when the prize had not been claimed by the middle of last week.

Winning numbers from that evening's draw were 5, 9, 18, 23, 31, 39, while the bonus ball was 37.

But the lucky ticket-holder had plenty of time to claim the money as the deadline would not have fallen until Monday 12 October 2009 to ensure they receive the prize.

Had no-one come forward with the winning ticket before the deadline, the prize money, plus the interest generated, would have gone to "good causes".