Self-employeed grounds worker John Biro is trying to keep his feet firmly on the ground after scooping the £80,000 top prize on a National Lottery Scratchcard.

The 55-year-old from Westbury picked up the Bejeweled Hypercash scratchcard on a whim after a visit to his late parents’ graves. He now plans to split his windfall 50/50 with his new girlfriend – enabling them both to pay off the mortgages on their houses.

The specialist Tarmacer has known his girlfriend Louise Watts for years, but they only become an item three weeks ago. The delighted couple couldn’t believe their luck and say the win has given them the perfect start to their life together.

Mr Biro said: “I’ve never had any luck and now it all seems to be coming at once, first with Louise and I getting together, and then this win – it’s just unbelievable.

“I had been to my parents’ graves, which I always do this time of year, as both their birthdays fall at this time. I called in at the shop on the way to Louise’s, and bought us both a scratchcard, planning to split any winnings, as agreed.

“I scratched three matching numbers on my card, and thought I had won £8, which I was really happy with, but then when I revealed more numbers and realised we had won the top prize I just couldn’t believe it.

"Louise was in shock too and thought I had somehow faked a card and was winding her up!”

Mr Biro, who has a 30-year-old daughter Rebecca and two grandchildren, now plans on paying off the mortgage on the two bedroom semi-detached home he has lived in for four years, and Louise will pay off the mortgage on her three-bedroom semi-detached home, also in Westbury.

Mr Biro, who travels with his work and treats himself to scratchcards every now and then, also plans to revamp his kitchen and buy a surf van for his daughter.

He continued: “I still can’t believe my luck – the news hasn’t really sunk in yet. I never believed that amazing things like this could happen to someone like me.”

Mr Biro’s winning Bejeweled Hypercash scratchcard was bought at McColls on High Street, Westbury. There is a 1 in 4.24 overall chance of winning a prize on this scratchcard, which costs £2 with prizes range from £2 up to the top prize of £80,000.

The National Lottery changes the lives of winners like Mr Biro as well as communities across the UK – players raise, on average, more than £33m for National Lottery-funded projects every week. In Wiltshire alone there have been 2,560 individual National Lottery grants made to date, funding projects across the arts, sports, heritage, health, education, environment, charity and voluntary sectors.