A Suffolk man is preparing for a life-changing Christmas after his National Lottery scratchcard made him an instant millionaire.

Jamie Grieve was spending an evening at home with his girlfriend Chez Carter when the pair decided to pop to the Co-op Store in Kessingland to pick up some snacks.

As they paid for their goods the 24-year-old decided on a whim to buy a festive Merry Millionaire card.

He said: “I only play scratchcards occasionally but when I do, I always reveal the prize right to left, so I can see the zeros being revealed first. On this one the first character I saw was an L and then another, which I thought was really weird, I even said to my girlfriend that there must be something wrong with the scratchcard. Then I revealed the full message of £1million and all hell broke loose.”

Mr Grieve, who lives with his parents and is a parts supervisor at a car dealership in Lowestoft, ran into the lounge to tell them the news where they were watching the television last Thursday evening.

His mum checked the ticket and confirmed his win, but not before his dad tried to convince him the ticket was fake.

“I couldn’t believe it, I was so sure and there was my dad saying he was going to rip it up. I nearly burst into tears until he said he was only winding me up.”

With his winnings in the bank Mr Grieve has already bought his dream car, a Ford Focus RS and is planning to buy Miss Carter, 22, a Mini Cooper or Audi A1.

His mum has received a Mercedes 350M and he will be sending both his parents on an all-expenses paid trip to Texas to visit a family friend who they haven’t seen in more than a decade.

Mr Grieve, who has been with Miss Carter for six years, is also planning to take her and their two best friends on holiday to the Caribbean next year.

Mr Grieve is the latest in a long line of Suffolk lotto winners.

In June, former EADT reporters Richard and Cathy Brown sailed into the Waterfront to collect their £6 million lottery win. This came just weeks after Lowestoft baker Jean Swatman won £2m.Then at the end of the month painter and decorator David Sutton and girlfriend Kim Daniels, of Lowestoft, won £83,659 on the lottery by getting five numbers and the bonus ball after buying two lucky dip tickets from the Tesco store in Leisure Way.

And August 2012, Gillian and Adrian Bayford, of Haverhill, pocketed £148million when they won the Euromillions jackpot. The couple announced last month they are set to divorce.

Christmas came early for Lowestoft Asda check-out supervisor Sue Stebbings in December 2010, who celebrated a £5,629,964 share of the Lotto double rollover jackpot.

In July 2004, Graham Howlett won £2,248,000, and his good fortune was mirrored by Stephanie Spindler who celebrated a £2,192,000 win in December 2006.