The men from Wiltshire and Bedfordshire have scooped £1m in March’s Premium Bonds draw, becoming the 381^st and 382^nd winners of the coveted prize.

A  male from Bedfordshire has the winning bond number 320GM702120 and has £7,500 invested in Premium Bonds, having bought the winning Bond in January 2018. This was the first draw in which his Bonds were eligible to win a prize.

NS&I said the winner has since bought more Premium Bonds, however these aren’t eligible until next month’s prize draw.

It’s been just over two years since Bedfordshire’s last jackpot win, its fourth in total.

Over in Wiltshire, the winning Bond number is 310EQ043977 and the man is the second Premium Bonds holder in the region to win the jackpot in 2018, with the last being in January’s prize draw. Overall this region has seen seven residents become millionaires.

The winner had held just a small amount in Premium Bonds since childhood, but invested to the maximum holding limit of £50,000 in August 2017, just seven months ago.

This is the second time this year already that Agent Million has visited Wiltshire – the seventh time overall – and  it has been just over two years since Bedfordshire’s last jackpot win, its fourth in total.

Jill Waters, retail director at NS&I, said: “This month sees a second win in the county of Wiltshire in three months and shows how an investment, which initially started with just a few Bonds in childhood, has increased over time – reaching the maximum – and has landed the jackpot prize. Luck was also in for the Bedfordshire winner, winning the £1 million prize with his initial investment.

“March’s jackpot winners won with Bonds purchased within the last seven months, and ERNIE has rewarded them with the top prizes in such a short space of time.”

In total, over three million prizes have been paid out in March 2018’s prize draw, worth £85.8m. The winnings are free of income tax and capital gains tax.

Since the first draw in June 1957, ERNIE has drawn 395 million winning prizes, to the value of £18.1bn.