Reading accountant's Death Star despair after lottery win

Malcolm Haines and his wife Rebecca have no plans to give up work, despite their win

A man who won £1m on the National Lottery has told how the first thing he wanted to buy was a Lego Star Wars Death Star.

Malcolm Haines, from Reading, said he was eager to buy the set, based on the cult film, but it was out of stock at his local store.

A new 4,000-piece Death Star set will set the millionaire back about £400.

The father-of-two said he will also use the winnings to pay off his mortgage and travel the world with his family.

The Death Star is a space station and galactic superweapon featured in the Star Wars franchise

Speaking of his surprise, he said: "I'm an accountant so used to seeing lots of noughts but when they are your noughts it's a completely different matter."

Talking about the moment he discovered his win, he said: "I always check using the app and, much to my wife's amusement, shut my eyes when it's scanning in the hope that I hear that little bell.

"This time I heard the bell, opened my eyes expecting to see... perhaps a fiver, and instead saw lots of noughts.

"The first thing I was going to do was buy a Lego Death Star but Argos didn't have any in stock, so that scuppered that."

The couple have plans to visit Canada and Australia with their two children

His wife Rebecca Haines said: "We looked at each other and started to laugh, then, because we wanted to share this amazing moment with the children, we called them down too and all stayed up discussing some crazy, and not so crazy plans, for our winnings."

The pair, who both work for accountancy firms, have no plans to give up work so their salary can support DIY jobs they always wanted to do, Mrs Haines said.

Mr Haines bought the Lucky Dip ticket at Asda Supercentre in Lower Earley as part of the draw on 9 January.