ONE lucky Essex man has become a millionaire after winning a Premium Bonds jackpot.

The man was one of two players to scoop the top prize in the October draw.

He purchased his winning bond more than 20 years ago in August 1999 and was part of a £4,000 holding.

He is Essex’s second Premium Bonds millionaire in as many months, the third this year and the 11th in total.

Jill Waters, NS&I chief executive, said: “It’s fantastic to see the randomness of Premium Bonds being shown with October’s winners, one new Premium Bonds millionaire holding the maximum investment and only buying the winning Bond exactly two years ago, while the other purchasing the chosen Bond over 20 years ago and holding only £4,000 in total.

"It shows that no matter your savings goal, Premium Bonds are an accessible and safe way to save, but also to win a potentially life-changing sum of money.”

There are 44,873 unclaimed prizes in Essex worth more than £1.6 million.

The highest unclaimed prize is worth £25,000 and was won in May 2014. The customer has £2,325 invested in Premium Bonds and the winning Bond number is 135MM985708.

There are also three prizes worth £10,000, three prizes worth £5,000 and 29 prizes worth £1,000 which remain unclaimed in the county.

The oldest unclaimed prize dates back to February 1964 and is worth £25 from an investment of only £1. The Bond number is 3AT735772.