Lottery washout

THE winner of a 26 million dollar (£18.5m) California Lottery prize may have literally washed the chance of a fortune down the drain. The winning ticket was sold at a convenience store in Los Angeles. Thursday marked the last day to redeem it - and no-one came forward. But a store employee told reporters that a woman came in on Wednesday and said she had put the ticket in her trousers and it was destroyed in the laundry.