Teesside school cleaners' 拢4m lottery win

Image caption, The cleaners bought three lucky dip tickets each Saturday

Sixteen school cleaners from Teesside are each 拢255,000 richer after their numbers came up on the lottery.

The colleagues, who run a syndicate at Egglescliffe Comprehensive School, won 拢4,091,609 between them in the triple rollover jackpot on Saturday.

The women had been buying three lucky dips a week, each contributing 拢1 every five weeks, for the past three years.

Cleaner Marie Kennedy said: "It's going to take something to top this one."

Pam Clarkson, 68, who runs the syndicate, said: "I thought I had four numbers at first and then I realised I had the six, so I rang my friend down the street and told her to come up.

"It was really late by this time and the lottery line had closed, so I waited until Sunday morning to call Camelot and tell all the other syndicate members.

"I didn't sleep much that night, I can tell you."

After initially not believing that they had won, the syndicate members have been compiling a shopping list of how to spend their winnings.

New cars, a bungalow and paying for a daughter's wedding are on the shopping list, although the women said they are still in shock and the news has yet to sink in.