WITH millions in the bank the future should have shone bright for Leigh's 'lucky' lotto winners.

Four years ago Ken White, his late wife Sheila and their sons David, Stephen and Richard (pictured with their families) were on top of the world sharing £6,600,000 after winning the National Lottery.

But family feuds split them up leaving former lorry driver Ken to sit back in his luxurious Culcheth home pondering on the things money can't buy.

With £4 million tucked away in the bank Ken has no money problems.

But he has headaches aplenty - as is revealed in a £5.99 a copy autobiography about the family's lottery win "Lottery; The Win That Tore A Family Apart".

Ken White has the home and car of his dreams, and a million pounds more in the bank than after his family shared the jackpot.

But he says the money has brought nothing but misery.

Initial intentions to stay put in their comfortable Ennerdale Road end garden terraced home were cast aside.

Multi-millionaire Ken says he got fed-up with sleeping on the couch when friends came to stay! Ken and Sheila found their dream home a few miles away, bought Sheila's mum a house in Wales and took time out to enjoy themselves travelling worldwide.

With a million pounds apiece in their pockets David, now 40; Stephen, 37, and Richard 'Chalky', 35 were the talk of the town and the envy of many.

New homes, flash cars, business ventures - but it turned sour.

"I thought the money would bring the family together. I had such hopes," says Ken.

But those hopes were soon shattered.

Youngest son Richard, who has started a haulage business, ended up in court accused of drug dealing.

"I couldn't believe it," says Ken. "You have all this excitement of a new way of life. The little 'un in a police cell, accused of all sorts. It just floored me."

Bail was set at £1.15 million and Ken rushed to help but invited his other sons to chip-in. Stephen, now living in Australia, refused point blank, but David reluctantly came up with the cash.

"I agreed to put up the money. I wish I hadn't now. I didn't want to hurt my father," he says.

Then the family were hard hit by the death of Sheila.

Ken says: "It was the first time we realised all the money in the world is no good when it can't help someone you love."

And although Richard was acquitted of drug dealing his dad says: "People round here would talk of the drug dealer Lottery winner.

"Richard's life was ruined. And since then he's had to face the jibes that he only got off because of the money.

"The others have been tarred with the same brush. There is a lot of hurt in this family."

David and Richard don't speak and Stephen - living Down Under - doesn't keep in contact with either of them.

David relates: "We were never that close. But since the win we've become even less so.

"Everything's changed since we won the Lottery. Even Dad has a new woman now.

"I don't think there's any point trying to force us all to be a happy family. Ken says: "It breaks my heart to know they are at each other's throats. I thought giving them a million each would bring them closer together .

"When I die they will each get another few million. I hope they can share it and be happy."

All the attention has driven David to consider selling the dream home he built for his family at Lowton.

Planning wrangles with the Council and business problems have taken their toll.

And Police knocked on David's door asking questions about the murder of a woman in her own home.

David says: "At first I thought nothing of it. But they came back three times and asked where I was on the night.

"Next thing I knew they were asking for blood samples from me and my brothers. Someone local must have fingered us, but we will never know."

Now David views everyone with suspicion. After his Leigh-based window business collapsed he claimed it was because creditors refused to pay and employees let him down because they resented his new-found wealth.

And he reckons the man who made his daughter pregnant was just a gold-digger.

"When the girls have boyfriends sniffing round I have to assume they are there for the wrong reasons. I tell them in no uncertain terms they won't be getting anything.

"The girls have nothing of their own. Everything is in my name. It's to protect them."

Now he's launching in to the music world with a five-piece girl band he's banking on being as big as the Spice Girls.

Looking back he says: "I've been through more heartache than I could ever imagine because of this Lottery win. What I was never prepared for was that people would resent me.

"I thought, stupidly, that everyone would be happy for me.

"But Lottery money isn't like any other cash. You never get to forget that you didn't earn it."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.