A Hampshire businessman has soared into the country's top ten richest people, it was revealed today.
Jim Ratcliffe, the head of chemicals group Ineos, has seen his fortune treble last year.
Hampshire-based Ineos is the world's third largest chemicals company after its £5 billion acquisition of BP's Innovene operation in 2005 and Mr Ratcliffe's stake in the business is estimated at around £3.3 billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
The expansion of Ineos, which is based in Chapel Lane, Lyndhurst, has propelled the married 54-year-old from his 2006 ranking of 45 - when he was worth an estimated £1.1 billion - to tenth in the pecking order of the UK's super-rich.
Steel giant Lakshmi Mittal heads the list for the third year running after Mittal Steel's £17.8 billion move for Arcelor, the world's second biggest steel producer, last year.
The Mittal family will own more than 43% of the combined company, which now produces 115 million tonnes of steel a year - around 10% of the world market.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article