£143m in the air tonight in Euromillions

DRUM ROLL Phil Collins

A PUNTER could be richer than Phil Collins against all odds... by landing tonight’s £143million Euromillions jackpot.

The windfall would soar past the Genesis frontman’s £140million fortune and make this Valentine’s Day and every other another day in paradise.

Piled up in £50 notes the winnings would be higher than the Empire State Building in New York.

Operator Camelot said it will take a single winner to third place on the National Lottery’s Rich List.

Senior winners’ adviser Andy Carter said: “With a jackpot that size you could treat your loved one every day of the year – not just on Valentine’s Day.

“Make sure you grab your ticket early!”

MISERABLE Woman begs in street

THE city of Newcastle has been hailed as a blueprint for success in preventing homelessness.

So those left on its streets are the lost souls, the truly desperate who decline or cannot settle in a hostel or emergency accommodation.

The Mirror spoke with

42-year-old “Michael” – not his real name. He says he sleeps in a shop doorway most nights but has been waking up freezing cold at 4am.

His is a well-trodden path to a life on the streets. After leaving a children’s home he fell into heroin addiction. Prison terms for shoplifting to fund his habit followed.

STRUGGLING

His is now clean of drugs and begs to get enough to go to Greggs.

“I am shaking when I wake up,” he said. “It is horrible mate, a nightmare. Covid has just made it even harder to get money because there are not many people around.”

A woman, sat outside Greggs begging for food, is moved on by police as the Mirror looks on.

Experts warn of a “ticking time bomb” of people struggling to get by on benefits. The number claiming Universal Credit has soared by almost 13,000 in Newcastle during the pandemic.

But Neil Munslow, the city council’s Service Manager: Active Inclusion, said 24,000 people have been prevented from slipping into homelessness since 2013.

The city has seen a 74% drop in rough sleeping earning it a World Habitat Gold Award 2020 for its long-term approach to the problem.

In March it is launching a £3million scheme to help people in hostels to break the homeless cycle.