A Somerset couple have conquered the infamous arcade 'grabber' machines - kitting out their home with gadgets and toys.

Michael and Lauren Francis spend their weekends and holidays in seaside resorts up and down the country - playing the notorious claw games.

They have used the machines to scoop piles of prizes - from teddies to toys and even a dash cam and Amazon Alexa.

Their favourite spots to visit include Blackpool, Skegness and Weston-super-Mare - but they are happy to go to anywhere with an arcade.

Michael, 40, and Lauren, 30, from Yeovil, Somerset, own a caravan so often head off at the weekend as well as on week-long breaks.

They love trying to clutch a prize in the claws - but most machines pay out tokens even if they don't win.

These tokens when collected in large enough amounts can be exchanged for high-tech prizes - like iPhones and devices.

Collecting the tokens means they often rack up their big wins - but spending hundreds of pounds in the process.

Lauren has refused to reveal their secret grabber technique - but says ''practice makes perfect''.

She said: "It's about the fun, isn't it? It's just become a bit of a hobby, really.

When we have a free weekend we go to the seaside.

"We like to save up for the big items. We save up a lot of tickets throughout the year.

"We take a few back which we don't cash in. You can save them for something you really, really like."

The pair play many different types of arcade games including grabbers - sometimes putting in £10 to £15 a time.

Lauren said: "When we are on holiday it's a bit more - it's stacked up over the years.

"We have probably been doing it for around ten years. As long as I have been with my partner - we met in a theatre. We've found a hobby we like to do together."

Retail advisor Lauren and Royal Mail worker Michael play the machines for up to two hours a day in a bid to collect as many tickets as possible.

They will often be building towards a target they have set at the start of the holiday - such as the Amazon Alexa.

If they win enough they will then cash in the tokens - or keep them if they fall short.

They have also won a huge amount of smaller prizes including cuddly toys and key rings.

She said: "We saved up to get the Echo one time. Michael won a dash cam recently, too.

"Most of the time you can save them - there's no expiry. If we both go on holiday we can soon accumulate quite a lot [of tickets].

"We keep all of our winnings at home. We always run out of space! We only live in a small house."