SIR James Dyson is the richest man in the South West according to the new edition of The Sunday Times Rich List, which will reveal the wealth of the 1,000 richest people in the county.

The Malmesbury-based entrepreneur and his family tops the list, which will be published on Sunday, with an estimated wealth of £7.8b and an increase in £2.8b from last year.

Second on the South West Rich List is accountancy boss Peter Hargreaves, who pledged £3.2m to the Leave campaign in the recent EU referendum, closely followed by Range discount store owners Chris and Sarah Dawson.

Robert Watts, the Compiler of The Sunday Times Rich List, said: “This year’s larger than ever Rich List lays bare how the fortunes of Britain’s richest 1,000 people have fared amid the astonishing events of the past 12 months.

“With entries ranging from an aristocrat to a former market stall trader turned billionaire, our Southwest Rich List tells us a lot about how wealth creation is changing.

“Gone are the days when big money was either inherited or usually amassed from finance, industry or a select band of other industries. Now we’re seeing fortunes built from fashion, bookmaking and even catering supplies.

“And in Sir James Dyson, Sir David McMurtry and John Deer the Southwest has three of the leading inventors-turned-entrepreneurs – showing that if you don’t know what product to sell you dream up your own.”

For more information or to look at the full list visit www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/richlist2017.