KITKATS containing golden tickets that will give fans the chance to enter the Big Brother house have left a factory under security escort.

And it is expected the first winner will be announced in a matter of days.

Yesterday, at the crack of dawn, a high-security operation was mounted at the Nestle Rowntree factory, in York, with 100 Willy Wonka-style bars being distributed among thousands of others and carried off in 40 huge KitKat juggernauts.

The undercover operation - codenamed Operation Goldfinger - was overseen by security staff from Big Brother and the trucks left escorted by Big Brother motorcycle security escorts.

A spokesman for Operation Goldfinger said: "As we speak, the lucky Golden Ticket bars are being distributed across the length and breadth of the country.

"The countdown until the first bars go on sale at 10.30pm on Thursday is well and truly on.

"We imagine that we should know who the first lucky winners are in a matter of days."

Bars will be delivered to 40,000 outlets across the UK. People who find the winning tickets, which are marked with security codes, must then telephone a 24-hour hotline for their chance to become the final contestant.

Winners, after passing the programme's background checks, will pack their bags, say goodbye to loved ones and head to the Big Brother studios for a live TV broadcast.

One of the winners will then be chosen at random to enter the house.

The Golden Tickets will be in KitKat four-finger single bars and KitKat Chunky single bars.

The competition opens at 10.30pm on Thursday and closes at 10.20pm on June 2.