A GROUP of Oxford hairdressers are celebrating after winning £60,000 on the National Lottery.

But they came within a whisker of missing the windfall.

The 12-strong syndicate from Richard's Hair Group, in Little Clarendon Street, will get just over £5,000 each after winning £60,277 for matching five balls in last Saturday's draw.

They each pay £1 a week, choosing individual lines of numbers.

But hard-up Natasha Clarke, who chose the winning line, almost didn't play last week because she couldn't spare the pound. She said: "I told them to cancel my line because I didn't have any money.

"But one of the girls put the money in for me. It's just as well she did."

Miss Clarke, 16, of Bernard Close, Yarnton, chose her three lucky numbers and three at random.

She plans to spend her winnings on driving lessons and a CD player.

Fellow syndicate member Leanne Armstrong, 20, of High Street, Chalgrove, said: "When they rang to tell me we'd won they were all laughing in the

background, so I didn't believe them. I just thought it wasn't very likely."

She plans to buy a new car.

Lisa Herbert, 26, of Appleford Drive, Abingdon, was in the salon when they checked the numbers on Monday.

She said: "We just couldn't believe it. Most people weren't working on that day so we were ringing them all up."

Miss Herbert also plans to buy a new car.

Miss Vanessa Key, 23, of Blandy Avenue, Kingston Bagpuize, said: "When they phoned they said, 'You'd better sit down'. We were screaming down the phone."

She said the money would go towards a deposit on a flat.

Miss Emma Allnutt, 20, of Meadow View, Kennington, said: "I was really speechless. I was gurgling down the phone, I couldn't speak or anything."

She plans to go on holiday somewhere "nice and hot" with the money.

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