A DARWEN man who was left almost crippled after a road accident is today celebrating a £2,500 win on the bingo.

Brian Duckworth, 63, of Birch Hall Avenue, was dumbstruck after realising he had the winning numbers.

And the happy news came as a welcome surprise after Brian's spine was badly injured in an accident in Lower Audley Street, Blackburn, 18 months ago.

He said: "I was driving a van for a small engineering company and a van just drove into me. I've had problems walking ever since because it caused a lot of damage to my spine.

"I was laid off as a result of the accident and my wife and I haven't been able to do much because I've had a lot of pain in my back and legs."

Brian and Joyce, 60, will now head off to sunnier climes in Europe for a well-earned holiday.

He said: "I've been on sick pay and Joyce recently retired so this money has given us a real boost and we can afford to have a good holiday."

Lanzarote and the Canary Islands are top on the agenda for Brian, who has been a member of the Highfield Working Men's Club for more than 40 years.

Bingo, which is played three nights a week at the club, is interactive with hundreds of working men's clubs throughout the country.

National Flyer Jackpots reach £2,500 on Thursday night and a full house will reward the winner with £5,000 on Saturday and Sunday night.

Brian, a former supervisor at Chapman Envelopes in Hoddlesden, added: "I've been working for forty-seven years now and it was a real shock to the system to be out of work so suddenly.

"Thanks to this win we can go away and really enjoy ourselves. It's a dream come true really and it's been a real shock for us and all our friends. We'll spend some and I think we'll save the rest for a rainy day."

Brian is the first big winner at the club - with two participants each winning £250 to date.

Jeremy Collis, managing director of Network Gaming Ltd, said: "We would like to congratulate Brian on his win and wish good luck to other club members who are playing in Darwen."