A Carlisle resident has received an early Christmas present after winning big on an online bingo website.

The lucky player got the shock of her life as she won a huge jackpot of £45,959.54 from Meccabingo.com.

The winner, who wished to be referred to by her chat name ‘Schmell’, was thrilled to get her hands on the prize after a stake of just 90p.

‘Schmell’ didn’t realise she had won the jackpot until everyone started congratulating her in the chatroom and seeing her balance increase by £45,000.

Speaking about how it felt to have won and how she plans to celebrate, she said: "I was so surprised when I realised that I had won. My husband was the first person I told, and we celebrated with a nice takeaway to bring ourselves back to reality!”

The businesswoman plans to pay off a chunk of her mortgage and treat herself to a new car. As her company is still relatively new, she is thrilled to be given an extra cash boost so close to the festive season.

Catherine Warrilow, Head of PR and Content at MeccaBingo.com, said: “We’re so happy for our fabulous winner and hope that she enjoys spending her winnings on a brand-new car.