A taxi driver who won the National Lottery six weeks ago says he has still not been paid his prize money.
Ray Laird, from Bootle in Merseyside - who bagged a prize fund of £800 - is still driving taxis aged 69 to pay for bills amid the cost of living crisis.
He explained that the winnings would help cover costs for a month, but he is yet to receive any money.
Laird bought his ticket from a One Stop shop in Bootle on March 2 and was surprised to find he had won £800 which he said would have paid his mortgage for the month.
A taxi driver who won the National Lottery six weeks ago says he has still not been paid his prize money
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The winner has been playing the lotto weekly since 1994 and has attempted to retrieve his winnings but claims he has been left on hold for hours by the company.
"I'm 69 so can't do the online stuff but I got my daughter to register the ticket for me. She did everything they asked and sent the tickets off. It was £800 I won," he told the Liverpool Echo.
"I phoned last week to enquire when I'm getting this money. Someone on the phone said to me 'well if you played online you wouldn't have this trouble' I thought this is disgusting. I have bought tickets from 1994 why should I change now?"
New rules enforced by Allwyn - which replaced Camelot as the National Lottery operator in February - mean winners have to send their ticket in the post to be inspected.
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Previously, winners could claim their prizes at Post Offices, but this has now been stopped as the company's contract with The National Lottery expired in January.
The new rules introduced by Allwyn have led to delays in the release of prizes to lottery winners.
Laird added: "£800 would have paid my mortgage this month. I'm a taxi driver, I'm struggling as it is. I'm 69 and still working so I can pay my mortgage.
"Times are tough at the moment, they are tough for everyone and I'm being crucified off the tax man for working and getting my pension, but I have to work. You can't win."
Previously, winners could claim their prizes at Post Offices, but this has now been stopped as the company's contract with The National Lottery expired in January
PAAn Allwyn spokesperson said: "This is a new claims process following the Post Office's decision to no longer pay National Lottery retail prizes between £500.01 and £50,000.
"The time the process takes will vary depending on whether we need any further information from the player in order to process their claim and how long it takes for us to receive the ticket or Scratchcard from the player.
"As people are still unfamiliar with the new process, we’re also experiencing a high volume of players contacting us and have increased the number of colleagues to assist players with their claims which is helping them get their prizes more quickly.
"We're very sorry to hear of Mr Laird's concerns, and have been in touch with him to discuss these and provide him with an update. We'd like to reassure anyone affected that they will receive their prize."
