Cornish mum wins £300,000 on a Christmas scratchcard after failing to find a Meal Deal she fancied

Janice Beare, a mother-of-five from Redruth, Cornwall, scooped the £300,000 top prize on a Tinsel Trail Scratchcard after the woman in front of her in the Co-op queue bought one first, prompting her to follow suit. She discovered she had won while sitting alone in her old Corsa outside the shop and was left completely stunned by the result.

Her eldest daughter's washing machine had exploded and caught fire — and Beare's first act was to tell her to choose a replacement and she would pay.

Beare said being able to help practically for the first time was 'the best feeling', and she has since taken her own mum to London for early Christmas shopping.

She is a self-described 'Christmas believer' who took the sight of another shopper buying a festive scratchcard as a sign she should do the same.