Getting four numbers on the lottery would normally be a cause for celebration.

But the champagne was put away when Margaret Spenceley, of Tern Way, South Weald, checked her winnings on Wednesday night.

The online Lotto enthusiast eagerly logged onto her account to find out how much she had won after her best-ever haul.

Her excitement was short lived, however, when instead of the “four or five hundred” she was expecting, she learned she had won an underwhelming £15, £10 less than she would have done had she matched three numbers.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said the recently-retired Goodmayes Hospital worker, 62. “It’s annoying - my friend didn’t believe me when I told her I would have got £25 if I had three. I got one more number and £10 less. I’m gutted.”

Margaret wasn’t alone in her frustration. More than 16,000 people nationwide are reported to have suffered the same misfortune.

Lotto company Camelot said the situation occurred because matching three numbers results in a fixed winning of £25 - with the rest of the prize money distributed among winners with four or more.

On Wednesday, there were “significantly” more winners than normal, with about 60 per cent more with three matching numbers.

This was due to the six main balls drawn being below 31 - and most players use special dates as their lucky numbers.

As a result, there was less money left to pay out to other winners - leaving Margaret and thousands of others cursing their luck.

“If I won the lottery I’d buy a new house and have a nice holiday,” she explained. “With this I’ll probably buy some fish and chips. I can’t get much else!”

Were you one of Wednesday’s winners? Contact Sam Gelder on 020 8477 3878 or sam.gelder@archant.co.uk.

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