Seven British call centre employees of Hewlett Packard based in Liverpool and a couple based from Wales have together scooped one of the biggest prizes in lottery history by winning 91 million pounds. The identity of the winners was revealed on Tuesday.

The couple from Wales, who won 45.5 million pounds, were identified as Les Scadding, 53, an unemployed mechanic, and wife Samantha Peachey-Scadding, 38. The remaining 45.5 million pounds have been shared by the seven call centre workers, with each getting 6.5 million pounds. The seven, now dubbed ‘The Magnificent Seven’, are: John Walsh, 57, James Bennett, 28, Sean Connor, 32, Alex Parry, 19, Emma Cartwright, 23, Ceri Scullion, 35 and Donna Rhodes, 39.

The Scaddings said it was “a very funny couple of minutes” before their luck sank in. They said they had to double check their ticket. Scadding has been out of work since last Christmas. His wife runs her own business from home. She said, “There is quite a lot of pressure involved in running your own business, and I’ve been working 12-hour days.”

The Scaddings plan to buy a new car, move into a bigger house and buy a holiday home. Until now, the biggest single win was by Angela Kelly who won more than 35 million pounds in August 2007. The seven call centre workers said they have already told their bosses that they are leaving.

The winners said they had worked out it would have taken 150 years for their combined wages to match the sum. John Walsh, 57, said he found out they had won Sunday morning. “I had to wake my wife, son and daughter so that they could double-check I was not dreaming.”

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