AN ANGRY North Yorkshire man says he has been waiting weeks to hear about a holiday he thought he had "won" through a prize draw.

Colin Richards has become the latest in a series of readers to contact the Evening Press about a prize draw a letter told them they had won.

Letters were sent to households all over North and East Yorkshire by UK Consumer Competitions, saying they had won the top prize - a holiday - in a grand draw.

All the "winner" had to do, the letter said, was send off a £29.50 "processing fee" to claim their Holidays Direct-sponsored trip.

So far, none of the "winners" who have contacted the Evening Press have been on holiday, and none have been able to contact Holidays Direct - despite sending off their cash.

Colin, of Selby, said he sent off £58 - to pay for him and his wife Elizabeth - "several weeks ago".

He has called the Holidays Direct number four or five times a day since then, he claimed, and has never got through.

But yesterday, he said, he did get through after staying on the line "for ages".

All Colin heard though, he says, was a recorded message saying "all our operators are busy". Callers were asked to send any paperwork to an address in Bournemouth.

"As far as I am concerned, I don't think we will be going anywhere, so I have written to Holidays Direct to ask for my £58 back.

"If I don't hear from them, I will consider taking it further."

Colin, a printer, said that while some people could easily afford £58, it was "a lot of money" to him and his wife.

The Evening Press tried to ring the Holidays Direct number several times, but the line went dead each time.

Liz Levitt, of City of York Council Trading Standards, said: "Our advice is not to send any more money before getting the company to confirm and produce evidence that it really is providing these holidays. If it is a genuine company it will do that."

Updated: 11:37 Thursday, August 30, 2001