NORTH-East bingo fans are being ranked among the nation's luckiest after two players scooped a total of £253,000 within three days of each other.

The players at the Buckingham Bingo Club, in Peterlee, and Gala Club, in Washington, near Sunderland, each scooped the club, regional and national jackpots.

The Washington winner, who has declined to be named, visited the club with her mother on Sunday to celebrate her mother's 56th birthday.

She scored a full house after only 40 numbers had been called.

When checks were made, it was discovered to be the fewest anywhere in the country, netting the 30-year-old, from Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland, a total prize of £201,000.

The sales engineer for a plastics company, who is single, immediately gave half to her mother, a widowed grandmother, also from Houghton-le-Spring.

She said: "I have been playing bingo since I was 18. My mum used to go with my grandma when she was alive, and now I go with my mum."

She said she planned to spend the cash on a house.

Club manager Vince Watson said: "When the house was shouted, everyone cheered. The winner turned round to her mother and said 'Happy birthday mum'."

In the region's second big win last week, a 49-year-old man from Peterlee scooped £52,000 at the Buckingham Bingo Club. He was there with his partner on Thursday night when he called house after just 42 numbers.

The man, who does not want to be named, shared the national prize of £100,000 with a woman from Hull, who had the same score.

Since it opened last November, the Peterlee club has had three national and seven regional winners, who have shared a total of £285,810.

One of the first was David Smith, from Peterlee, who scooped £196,000.

The Washington club has enjoyed a similar lucky streak, with two customers winning the £200,000 national jackpot in the past year.