Champagne corks were popping today for Shropshire great-grandparents David and Marina Williams after they scooped almost £1 million on the Lotto.

The former Shropshire Newspapers workers, from St Georges, Telford, were just about to go to bed when they learned they had hit the jackpot after Marina, 70, checked their Lotto numbers on Teletext.

She initially thought they had matched four numbers. But when David double-checked, he realised they had matched all six.

The retired engineer said: “Marina asked me to check the numbers to see if she was right. I saw the four numbers, then five and then six and had to sit down in shock. I couldn’t believe it.”

David, 71, said he made a cup of tea to calm their nerves and the pair sat eating bacon sandwiches until the early hours.

The couple struck lucky on September 17, with the numbers they have been playing since the National Lottery started in 1994.

Their winning numbers were: Three (Marina’s birthday); nine (eldest son David’s birthday); 11 (youngest son Paul’s birthday); 24 (daughter Sue’s birthday); 29 (John’s birthday); and 43 (their old house number).

David said they rang Sue, 43, with the news well after midnight and found out in the small hours they had scooped £968,792.

Marina, an ex-factory worker, and David, who have three children, 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren marked their win with a pub lunch.

The pensioners, who worked for Shropshire Newspapers about five years ago, are still drawing up spending plans, but David said he wanted a new Jaguar XF, while Marina was keen on a holiday home in Minorca.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said. “I’m still shaking.”

Their ticket was bought at Right Price Supermarket in Oakengates, run by Nick and Neena Dhariwal.

Mrs Dhariwal said David and Marina’s jackpot was the first jackpot-winning ticket they had printed in their 16 years at the store.

“It was a new machine,” she said. “We’d only had it three weeks. It’s just nice to know you can make someone so happy and people can win.”

By Simon Hardy and Lizzie Yates