Caudwell richest in the region
Mobile phone entrepreneur John Caudwell has maintained his position as the richest person in the West Midlands, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List.
The 54-year-old, who lives near Market Drayton, sold his share in the Caudwell Group for £1.24 billion last year, and is reported to be worth £1.6 billion. But he trails well behind the wealthiest person in the land.
That title belongs to steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal with £19.25 billion. Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich is second with £10.8 billion, with the Duke of Westminster third with £7 billion.
The Queen has dropped out of the top 200 for the first time - her wealth of £320 million is now only enough to lift her to 229th place.
Shropshire-connected millionaires are well represented in the list. Don and Roy Richardson, the property development brothers who built Telford Plaza, are up to 151 after seeing their wealth swell by £150 million last year to £500 million.
Douglas Graham and family, the owners of the Shropshire Star and Express & Star newspapers, are 110 places lower than last year at 572nd, with a reported wealth of £121 million.
Roger Gabb, who made around £80 million from the sale of Telford-based Western Wines, is listed as the sixth richest wine seller in the UK and number 789 in the UK with a fortune of £88 million.
Retailing duo Christian Rucker and Nick Wheeler, who live at Worfield near Bridgnorth, have a wealth of £85 million.
The chairman of Lloyds Animal feeds in Shropshire, Hywel Lloyd, is at 891 with £76 million, and Oswestry timber company chairman Richard Burbidge is at 925 with £73 million.
By Carl Jones