A NEWSAGENT has won a battle with Camelot to continue selling National Lottery tickets after the lottery operator admitted it made a mistake.

It stripped Virk's Newsagents, in the Arboretum, Worcester, of the right to sell tickets because, it said, it was selling less than the minimum of £1,400 worth of tickets a week.

But following a petition signed by more than 700 angry customers, and the intervention of Worcester MP Mike Foster, Camelot has reversed its decision and is re-installing the shop's Lottery terminal.

Newsagent owners MS and Prabhjot Virk are "elated" but said Camelot should "get their facts rights" after the Lottery operator admitted it had made a mistake.

"My customers are really happy the terminal's back but they want an apology," said Mrs Virk, adding they had been without the Lottery terminal for more than two months.

"To see so many disappointed customers was quite upsetting. Many of them stopped doing the Lottery altogether because it was too far to go to the nearest terminal - in the main post office, in Foregate Street, Worcester - or else they felt disgruntled.

Human error

"They felt 'if Camelot's going to be like that we'll just stop doing it'. Camelot should get their facts right."

The Virks, who have run the Northfield Street newsagents for 22 years, were due to have the terminal reinstalled today.

Camelot blamed human error for the mistake, and has now admitted the shop had been hitting the £1,400 target.

Mr Foster, who taught accountancy and statistics at Worcester College of Technology before devoting himself to politics, said the error was understandable.

"It was a relatively simple mistake to make and I am glad Camelot have performed this U-turn," he said.

"Mr and Mrs Virk should not have lost the Lottery business in the first place."

Ben Rosier, Camelot spokesman, would not be drawn on the details of how the mistake was made, but said the organisation "always listens to its retailers".

"This is exactly why we have an appeals process," he said.

"We always listen to our retailers and we are happy to reinstall terminals when the situation warrants it."