A man has been charged after allegedly faking a National Lottery ticket which scooped him £2.5 million almost 10 years ago.

Edward Putman was charged with fraud by false representation following an investigation by a Serious Fraud specialist police officers.

The charge comes after The National Lottery paid out the life-changing sum to the 53-year-old in 2009 after searching for the winner of a unclaimed ticket.

Hertfordshire Police today said a charge had been made in relation to the payment which the National Lottery handed out almost 10 years ago.

The force said an investigation began in 2015 "after evidence came to light that the claim was not genuine".

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Police said: "A man has been charged after an investigation into an alleged lottery fraud.