A self-employed carpenter from South Ockendon has spoken of how he no longer has to worry about taking days off sick after he scooped a £100,000 win on a scratchcard.

The lucky father of one, James Elsey, 33, bought his winning £4 Million Blue scratchcard from The National Lottery when he was on his way to work in central London.

Stopping off to pick up his workmate, James popped into a local convenience store to buy the scratchcard which he played once he got to work.

 James said: “Before we started work I decided I’d quickly play the scratchcard. On the first line of the game I matched two diamonds and saw the prize amount was £100,000.

"I handed it to my apprentice, asking him to check it and when he said ‘I think you’ve won £100,000’ - I very happily agreed with him.”

 Not wanting to let his employer down, James put the winning National Lottery Scratchcard safely in his pocket and did the most urgent jobs before calling his boss to share the news and asking for the rest of the day off.

For James and his partner, Mel, and their two-year old, the win couldn’t have come at a better time.

James said: “In some ways, the win isn’t about the money but about the security it gives us.

"I am self-employed so if I’m not working, I’m not earning and that has meant that holidays and days off sick always come with a little bit of worry. This win affords us much greater financial freedom and therefore, more security.

“For instance, we’ve just bought a new family home and, like most people, had expected to be paying off the mortgage for the next 25 years.

"Now we can pay off some of the costs of the move and take a chunk off the mortgage, and in doing so take a chunk of financial pressure off us both.”

In addition to financial security, James also plans to treat himself to a new work truck which he says he has been "wanting to lease for ages."