Essex towns tops for lucky lotto

There are now 13 millionaires in Ilford

Two towns in Essex have been named for a second year as the luckiest places in the UK for lottery jackpot wins.

Figures from National Lottery operator Camelot put Ilford at the top of the lucky list as the proportion of jackpot winners to players is one in 8,019.

Second placed Romford has one jackpot win in 9,809.

Birmingham has the most millionaires created since the lottery began in 1994 and the city has the highest total prize payout for prizes over £50,000.

Ilford has had 29 jackpot winners in total, boosted last October when a syndicate of Thames Water workers scooped £1,247,863.

Lucky towns: Ilford Romford Enfield Perth Tunbridge Wells Watford Liverpool Northampton Doncaster Dartford

Enfield in north London and Perth in Scotland were placed third and fourth.

Liverpool broke into the lucky top 10 after a £5m win by a syndicate of 14 Alliance and Leicester workers in February.

Ilford town centre manager Reg Woda said the secret of the town's success was living alongside each other and getting on with life.

"There's a degree of serenity," he said.

"People feel relaxed and don't mind a flutter."