Camelot officials have urged locals in Worcester to “triple-check” their tickets in search of the lucky £33m lotto winner.

The hunt for the mystery punter has intensified after Camelot revealed the golden ticket was bought in the city. And the woman, who refused to reveal her name, reportedly rushed into her local newsagent Ambleside News in Warndon, Worcs, with the tattered piece of paper.

The ticket had the winning numbers - 26, 27, 46, 47, 52, 58 – but water damage had washed away the date, the bar code and the serial number. The woman told The Times: “I've been a nervous wreck.

“I haven't slept all night. Since I found it in my jeans pocket, my daughter and I have been drying it out with the hairdryer. “You can see 2016 but not the date.”

She added: “It would have to be one hell of a coincidence.” Half of the £66m mega jackpot has been claimed by David and Carol Martin from the Scottish borders. And Natu Patel, who runs Ambleside News in the run-down suburb of Warndon on the outskirts of the city, was rumoured to have sold the second jackpot ticket.

Natu, 64, said: "We sell a lot of tickets so I hope the winning ticket was bought here.”Camelot called me today to say that the press might contact me. It was completely out the blue and it sounded quite mysterious.

"Unfortunately I have no way of checking if the winning ticket was bought here unless I scan it.”We have sold many winning tickets before, but only for £25,000 or £20,000. "A few people have won £1,000 over the years too."

Natu added: "In the 27 years that my wife and I have run this shop, we have done quite well and we've made a lot of people happy with their lottery wins.”It would be wonderful if it was bought here. I would be very, very happy. "It would be great for the community. The winners are very lucky."

The announcement of the winning ticket being bought in Worcester has sparked Lotto fever in the city. Cathy Harrison, 33, a shop assistant from Cheltenham, Glos., who was visiting Worcester for the day, said: "Someone told me the ticket was bought in Warndon.”No one knows for sure though. There is a real buzz around the place. It'll be incredible for someone if they check their ticket and realise they've won."

Shop worker Adele Smith, 34, added: "Worcester is very close-knit so if it was a local person who won it the chances are they'll know a lot of people. “They will basically become rich and the most famous person in Worcester overnight. It's a mystery why someone wouldn't claim the ticket.

"Everyone we've served today has been chatting about it." Camelot today refused to speculate on the shop where the winning ticket - worth £33,035,323 - was bought.

Speaking at a press conference in the city today, Andy Carter, winner’s advisor for Camelot, said: "We are still awaiting the winner of the biggest Lotto jackpot. “Today is about encouraging people to check their bags, down the side of the sofa, or anywhere where they might have misplaced it.