BUSINESS MEN from across the county have been named in The Sunday Times Rich List 2018 as Dyson owner Sir James Dyson remains at the top for the South West.

Another high earner with connections to the county includes Will Roseff, whose family founded Wiltshire based bookies Backhouse Bet in 1921 who is now worth over £388m after Mr Roseff invested in gambling website Bet365.

Sir James Dyson, 71, is the region's richest person with a fortune now put at £9.5bn, up £1.7bn on last year.

He is nearly three times greater than his nearest challenger and has been tipped to one day top list for the whole country.

Dyson’s vast engineering and technology empire produces 80,000 machines a day and its 100 millionth machine was made during 2017. In the past year he has benefited from a strong rise in exports, with about 73 per cent of the company’s recent growth stemming from Asia.

He also owns 25,000 acres of land, making him a bigger landowner than the Queen, and has recently invested £2.5bn in an expansion of his Malmesbury headquarters in Wiltshire. He is presently exploring a range of futuristic technologies including artificial intelligence and robotics.

Robert Watts, the Compiler of The Sunday Times Rich List, said: “Sir James Dyson’s energy seems undimmed. Although probably still best known for his bagless vacuum cleaners, he is now making a fortune for selling a suite of other products all over the world.

“Our Southwest Rich List list is largely a story of self-made wealth - often by people from humble roots. Chris Dawson was a Plymouth market trader. David McMurtry started out as an apprentice. Mark Constantine spent time living in woods as a homeless teenager.

“This is the big change we’ve seen in the Sunday Times Rich List over its 30 years. We see less inherited wealth and more entrepreneurs who start out with little, work hard and strike gold.”

Read the full list here: thesundaytimes.co.uk/richlist2018