A WORCESTER newsagent believes he may well have sold the winning lottery ticket, worth £33 million.

We have already reported how a mum from Worcester believes she could have hit the jackpot but now faces an anxious wait after she put the ticket through the wash by mistake.

The woman, who bought her ticket at Ambleside News in Ambleside Drive, Warndon, told Natu Patel, the shop's manager, that the ticket was damaged after being left in a pair of jeans and put through the wash.

The combination of numbers was correct Mr Patel said - 26, 27, 46, 47, 52, 58 - but the ticket's journey through the washing machine had scrubbed away the date as well as the bar code and serial number, leaving the woman, in her own words, a 'nervous wreck'.

The winner has until July 7 to claim the prize. David and Carol Martin of Hawick in the Scottish Borders have already claimed their half of the biggest jackpot in National Lottery history.

The woman, who has been described as 'blonde' and 'middle-aged' was shaking when she approached Mr Patel with the damaged ticket, having dried it out using a hairdryer.

Mr Patel, speaking to the Worcester News from his shop this weekend, said: "I think she was slightly worried and nervous as to what to do.

"She had talked to the Camelot people at the Hive yesterday and they told her to write to them so when she came in she was a little worried about what to do so hopefully we guided her in the right direction.

"I think this could be the winning ticket - I hope so. I do remember vaguely serving her when it was that space of time.

"I would be very excited if it was the winning ticket for her and for us as well and for the community of Worcester as well.

"She is a Worcester woman and it would put Worcester on the map for sure apart from the bad things that happened in Worcester, floods and things like this, it will be very good indeed."

Father-of-two Mr Patel said the woman was definitely 'local' and had been in his shop on a regular basis but said he did not know her name.

He said: "She was very scared. She was shaking. I put the ticket in a plastic bag with some cardboard.

"If you have a piece of paper which is wet and dry it then it becomes brittle.

"I put it in the plastic bag with some cardboard to stabilise it. She has posted it off to Camelot for them to analyse it and we're taking it from there."

Mr Patel who described himself as 'ordinary' has been interviewed by the national media from Sky News to the Daily Mirror, from The Sun to Good Morning Britain and from The Telegraph to BBC Radio 4.

His family in the US - sister Naina Patel and niece Anusha Patel of Charlotte, North Carolina - have also been in touch having seen him on YouTube since the media interest began.

Mr Patel, 64, who has managed the shop for 27 years with wife Hansa, 62, said: "I have had a phone call from my family in America that they have seen me going viral on YouTube.

"We're hoping to retire and this would be the icing on the cake. What a way to go."

One woman came in, telling Mr Patel "You're famous!" to which he replied: "Don't say things like that, you'll make me blush. Don't say that when my missus is here."

One customer, John Nash, who came in to buy a lottery ticket joked that the Patels should sign his ticket because they were now famous.

Mr Patel has also seen an increase in the sale of lottery tickets while some have been into the shop out of curiosity.

Two people have also called he said, claiming they had bought lottery tickets at his shop but had lost them.

Camelot has advised the person to contact them in writing which Mr Patel said his customer has now done. 

He is willing to provide CCTV footage to the company to help with their inquiries.

The woman told The Times: “It would have to be one hell of a coincidence.”

She told the newspaper she had not slept at all that night and had been trying to dry out the ticket using a hairdryer.