SUFFOLK'S silent gamblers are sitting on an untapped goldmine.More than £200,000 prize money for Premium Bonds is sitting unclaimed in the county.One lucky Felixstowe punter has won £1,000 with only a £2 holding, yet has failed to claim the cash.

SUFFOLK'S silent gamblers are sitting on an untapped goldmine.

More than £200,000 prize money for Premium Bonds is sitting unclaimed in the county.

One lucky Felixstowe punter has won £1,000 with only a £2 holding, yet has failed to claim the cash.

Research by National Savings and Investments revealed nearly £2million is sitting unclaimed by winners from the east of England.

Essex holders are the worst culprits, with more than £600,000 waiting for the winner.

There is no time limit on claiming prizes, but Premium Bond chiefs are keen to track down the missing tickets.

More than 3,500 prize-winners in Suffolk are among the culprits, with five leaving £1,000 lying idle.

It is believed many Premium Bond holders fail to register a change of address, meaning they disappear off the system.

The news of unclaimed prizes comes on the back of a record-breaking month for the bonds.

More than £1billion was ploughed into the scheme last month – by far the highest total in the 47 years since it was launched.

Nearly 250,000 people heeded warnings about Britain's volatile stock market and headed to Ernie for a safer home.

Each £1 bond has a one-in-30,000 chance of winning a prize ranging from £50 to £1million.

The five top winning tickets in Suffolk are:

n 06BT931371 – last known living in Felixstowe

n 14KW564213 – last known living in Suffolk

n 26WL499046 – last known living in Ipswich

n 26KS149034 – last known living in Ipswich

n 19KZ771595 – last known living in Suffolk.