PREMIUM bond holders in Lancashire were today named among the luckiest in Britain.

Since last April, 12 prizes of between £50,000 and £100,000 have been won in the county -- a total of £900,000.

And since 1994, five Lancastrians have become millionaires after their numbers were chosen by ERNIE, the premium bond prize picker.

Christopher Moxey, commercial director of National Savings, said: "Good old ERNIE works in mysterious ways. Obviously there are parts of the country where there are more premium bond holders than others, but the element of luck is always there in the draw.

"Whether you have still got a £1 premium bond from years ago or the maximum £20,000 worth of bonds, the chances of any one bond number being chosen for the jackpot prize are exactly the same. But clearly, the more you have the more chances you have to win.

And the chances of winning have recently increased, so now even more people will be getting an ERNIE bonus."