A husband from Lancashire has won a house worth £425,000 after spending less than £5 on a raffle ticket.

Max Fox from Thornton-Cleveleys entered a “Win a House” competition from Blackpool-based competition company Elite Competitions, only for his winning ticket number #Y6185 to be pulled out of their lottery machine.

On Friday, November 3, Max, his husband and their family and friends visited the Poulton three-bed bungalow to make a life-changing decision: take the house or the cash alternative of £325,000, which would be transferred to their bank account within 24 hours.

After viewing the property for the first time and discussing it with his family, Max chose to take the house and will shortly be moving from his current house with his husband to the bungalow.

Lancashire Telegraph: Max with his friends and familyMax with his friends and family (Image: Elite Comp)

Max said: “I’m not looking to capitalise on this by selling it on or renting it out, I’m looking for this to be my forever home.”

The property was valued by local estate agents at £425,000 and was accompanied by £20,000 worth of new furniture, all for the winner to take with them. The bungalow had also undergone a £100,000-plus renovation and refurbishment before appearing on their website.

This was the company’s fourth house competition to date, and Max was the lucky winner, beating thousands of other entrants.

Founder and managing director Alex Beckett shared his joy for the couple, saying: “Not only was this the best financial decision for Max, because he now owns a house mortgage-free, but we’re thrilled that we have helped a genuine couple move into their new home.”

In July, mum Kerry Crompton won a home worth £260,000 in Lancashire and chose to take the cash so she could stop renting and purchase her own dream home in Norfolk.

Elite Competitions has been operating since 2016, with more than 70,000 winners receiving prizes.