Premium Bonds: Unclaimed £250,000 cash pot waiting for winners thought to be in Sheffield, and how to claim

The money is waiting to be claimed by the winners, with some of it dating back to draws made nearly 50 years ago.

It is made up of prizes that have come up in the national Premium Bonds draw, which hit the headlines earlier this week when it was announced that Sheffield had seen a £1 million winner.

The unclaimed prizes linked to the city are not as big as that - but some of them run into four figure sums.

A spokesman for National Savings and Investments, which runs the Premium Bonds draw, said: “In Sheffield, there are 6,668 unclaimed prizes worth £248,450.

“The largest unclaimed prize in Sheffield is worth £5,000 and is from the October 2011 draw. There are also 22 £1,000 prizes waiting to be claimed, dating back to April 1979.”

In the broader Yorkshire and the Humber area, there are 123,291 unclaimed prizes worth £4,426,125, they added.

How you find out if you’ve won on Premium Bonds

People can choose to have their prizes paid directly to their bank account or reinvested into more Premium Bonds.

Organisers say nine in 10 prizes are already paid this way as it is quicker than waiting for a cheque and then paying it in.

People who may have an unclaimed prize can check using NS&I’s online prize checker or the prize checker app.

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To check for prizes using the NS&I website, bond holders will need their Premium Bonds holder’s number.

For the app, either a Premium Bonds holder's number or an NS&I number will work. People can also check for unclaimed prizes.

Premium bonds are a form of Government saving scheme, but pay out prizes from a monthly draw, rather than interest.