THE landlords of a Quidhampton pub are celebrating after winning the top prize in the Euromillions Millionaire Maker.

Nick and Zoe Hoare, who have been running the White Horse for the past three years, say the win "still hasn't sunk in".

"It's crazy, it's been an absolutely bonkers week. It really hasn't sunk in," said Zoe.

The couple won the prize on Tuesday, May 9, and bought the lucky dip ticket from Waitrose in Salisbury.

However, the ticket purchase was also thanks to a spring clean of the pub's carpets.

Nick said: "In the pub game there is always another job to do and last Monday, although it was our day off, was no different. We had hired a rug cleaner to do the carpets and when we took it back later that day I decided to pick up a couple of EuroMillions tickets. I put them in my wallet and thought no more of it.

"Had those carpets not needed a spring clean, we wouldn't have been in the shop, buying a ticket from a machine which dispensed the winning code, who knew cleaning could be so lucrative."

It was not until the Wednesday that the pair, who have been married for 11 years, discovered they had become millionaires.

Zoe said: "We had just finished the lunchtime shift and were in the office finalising plans for our Beer Festival. While I was checking orders I heard Nick gasp, and around saw him standing there, with the lottery ticket in his hand, saying 'these match'."

She says she thought it was a mistake at first and phoned the Lottery who confirmed the win.

The couple will be calling time at the pub. They will be staying on for the next six months.

Zoe said: "After that it is just going to be the luxury of time, catch our breath, have a break and have a holiday.

"We have got so many opportunities."

The couple say they will miss the pub "enormously" and running it has been "fun and rewarding" and they have made some "really incredible friends".

Nick said: "It's going to be so hard to leave. The pub was closed for a year before we took it on and we've worked really hard with our team to establish it at the heart of the community again.

"While this magic 'gift' means it's the right time for us to leave and seek future opportunities, we know The White Horse will find a new landlord and landlady who will love it as much as we have."