HE'S the tenth richest man in the country and now his Hampshire firm has been ranked as Britain's biggest private business.

New Forest-based engineer turned successful entrepreneur Jim Ratcliffe founded a chemicals company nine years ago that today has sales of £18 BILLION.

Based in Lyndhurst, his firm Ineos has triple the sales of high street favourite John Lewis, which is number two on the list of the UK's biggest privately owned companies.

From the credit card in your wallet to the air conditioning in your car, the chlorine in the water to the plastic packaging around your food, Ineos' products are everywhere.

Overall, the company Mr Ratcliffe started under a decade ago is now the 15th largest business by sales in the UK, with profits of £630m. As Ineos' principal shareholder the married 54-year-old, who lives in Hampshire, has seen his personal fortune balloon from £1.1 billion last year to an estimated £3.3 billion.

The Lyndhurst headquarters is the smallest of all Ineos' offices, employing just 150 of the firm's global 16,500-strong workforce, which is spread across 73 sites in 18 countries.

The nearest plants are in north-west England and Scotland, with the majority in Europe and America and more planned in Asia, including China. They produce more than 50 million tonnes of chemicals a year.

An Ineos spokesman said: "Typically you will find that Ineos' products are things that we take for granted in every day life.

"It's a very interesting and exciting company to work for. People might not have heard of the company but they will be familiar with our heritage. We have bought companies from BP, ICI and BASF and they have been invested in and grown over a period of time and they are doing well in the Ineos group.

He said the company was started in Hampshire and plays a part in the community.

"We hope our presence continues to benefit local people in terms of employment, support for local businesses and community projects.

"We are committed to being a good neighbour and are very aware of the responsibility we have to our surroundings. As part of our long-term commitment to Lyndhurst, we work within the community through effective consultation and communication.

"Since moving to the area, Ineos has spent more than £150,000 in support of a number of local charities and sporting organisations."