A LOTTERY player in Somerset has lost a life-changing £500,000 by not claiming their winnings.

The purchaser of the winning Thunderball ticket - which was bought in South Somerset - had not come forward by Thursday's deadline.

The money and interest accrued will now instead go to National Lottery-funded projects across the UK.

Andy Carter, senior winners’ advisor at The National Lottery, said: "Unfortunately, I can confirm that the ticket-holder did not come forward within the deadline to claim their prize and has now sadly missed out on this substantial amount of money.

"To avoid this unfortunate situation happening again, I would urge all National Lottery players to check their tickets on a regular basis.

"We tried very hard to find the ticket-holder and it’s a real shame that they have missed out, but there is still one winner – the nation.

"This money, and all the interest earned over the 180 days, will now go to benefit projects all over the UK funded by The National Lottery."

With all National Lottery draws, players have 180 days from the day of the draw to claim their prize if they have the winning ticket.