YOUR chances of winning the lottery are something like one in 14 million.

So imagine your numbers coming up and then not being able to find your ticket.

Or perhaps becoming so used to your numbers not coming up that don’t bother to check your winning ticket.

Well that’s what happened to one lottery player in Sussex.

For weeks Camelot, the organisers of The National Lottery, have been appealing for the player to come forward.

We have run numerous stories, pleading with everyone to check their pockets and down the back of the sofa.

But now it is too late.

With the 180 day time limit now surpassed, the £1 million has been put into The National Lottery charity fund.

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.”

He added: “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.

“Anyone who has any queries or who believes they have the winning ticket for any of the National Lottery draws within the 180-day deadline should call the National Lottery Line on 0844 338 7551 or email help@national-lottery.co.uk.”

The National Lottery was launched in 1994 and has made thousands of millionaires. However, not all winners have collected their prizes.

It is estimated that around £2 million in lottery prizes are unclaimed every single week.

Back in 2005 a UK player failed to claim £9.4 million. The winning ticket holder was said to be from Doncaster. But despite a huge campaign to find the lucky player, nobody came forward.

However, this is nothing compared to a player in New York.

A ticket holder who had the numbers to collected a $31 million prize failed to come forward.

Losing that £1 million doesn’t bear thinking about.

With that in mind we went down to the seafront and asked people what they would do if they won £1 million.