And finally…Nation’s bookies can’t Vard-ly believe it

They were joined in their misery by the nation’s bookmakers who, it has emerged, have had to take a £25 million collective hit on the biggest “joke bet” ever to pay out in the history of British betting.

For a few punters bold enough to back Leicester at the now famous 5,000-1 pre-season odds, the unlikely title triumph means some individuals will be able to enjoy the celebrations with winnings of up to £100,000 in their pockets.

“In the history of betting, certainly since it was legalised in 1961, a winner with odds of 5,000-1 has never happened,” said Simon Clare from the betting firm Coral. “Every bookmaker is crying out in pain.

“That’s a barometer of what Leicester have done and just how amazing this win is.”

Jessica Bridges from rival Ladbrokes agreed.

“This is the biggest sporting upset of all time. We’ve all got a bit of egg on our face,” she said.

Coral competitor William Hill said it has paid out more than £20,000 to 39-year-old carpenter, Leigh Herbert.

He was one of the canny few to take up the now-famous odds of 5,000-1 for his team to win.

Another was an unnamed Warwickshire man who accepted £72,000 for his £50 bet from Ladbrokes in March. Although he now knows he would have been £178,000 better off if he had shown the same resilience as his team.

David Williams, a spokesman for Ladbrokes, with whom a further 56 optimistic Leicester City backers took up the 5000 – 1 odds, said: “The first rule of bookmaking is ‘never say never’, and we broke that rule last August.

“Leicester winning the title was in the realms of the ridiculous, and it has cost us the biggest anti-post payout in our 130-year history.

“For a 5,000-1 shot to emerge as a winner is absolutely off the charts in betting terms. The longest odds on a Grand National winner were 100-1, England were 250-1 before they won the Ashes in 1981, and Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson as a 50-1 shot in 1990, so nothing else comes close.

“It means we will have to completely recalibrate how we approach betting on outsiders.”