Barman raises a glass after £3.5m house win

When busy barman Darren Summers' phone rang and a voice told him he had won a prize he dismissed it as a prank and hung up.

Moments later a team from competition company Omaze walked into the pub where he was working in Tynewydd - which means "new house" in Welsh - and told him he had won a £3.5m home.

They then took him to a nearby cricket pitch to show him a video of the four-bed property on the Cornish coast which was now his.

Returning to his shift he told regulars drinks were, well, on the house.

As well as the property - set in an acre of grounds on cliffs overlooking Downderry Beach - Darren has also won £250,000 cash.

The 50-year-old, who is also from Tynewydd, bought his winning entry for £20.

According to Omaze, the house, which has a heated outdoor pool and hot tub, could have a rental value of £5,000 to £8,000 a month.

Darren said: "I was in the middle of pouring pints during a busy shift behind the bar when Omaze rang.

"I eventually picked up but when they said I'd won a prize I thought, 'Yeah right', hung up and just carried on working.

"Then my colleague said there was a film crew outside."

He called Rebecca, his wife of eight years.

"She didn't believe me, she had no idea I'd even entered, so she was doubly surprised," Darren said.

When he told the 36-year-old she was on speakerphone she "almost needed bleeping".

Darren said: "The house looks like somewhere a movie star would live, it's absolutely breathtaking."

"We've always wanted to go to Cornwall but neither of us have ever been before.

"We thought maybe we'd come here camping one day, but now we'll be staying in our very own mansion."

That night behind the bar was not the average shift.

"I sometimes get the odd half of beer bought for me, so a £3.5m house is definitely my biggest tip ever.

"First thing I said was, if anyone wants a pint, the drinks are literally on the house tonight!"

Darren is now planning to call time on his pub career to enjoy an early retirement.