Cumbria's richest man has seen his fortune swell by £100 million over the last year, making him the north west’s seventh wealthiest person.

Edinburgh Woollen Mill boss Philip Day, who has an estate near Brampton, features prominently in the latest Sunday Times Rich List, which records his worth as £1.15bn – four places above Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy Shevell.

Mr Day is one of eight billionaires from the region who feature in the list, which is topped by The Duke of Westminster and his family, who are worth £9.52bn, up £170m compared to last year.

The table of Britain’s wealthiest people has been published just weeks after Carlisle United revealed a financial link with Mr Day’s firm – though club bosses insist he does not want to own the club.

EWM has a charge against Brunton Park, having made “loan facilities” available to the club. The firm is now expected to step up its commercial dealings with United after this season.

This year’s Rich List makes fascinating reading. At just 26 years old, the Duke of Westminster is easily the region’s richest person.

The top 20 in the list have a combined wealth of more than £29bn, a figure that’s grown by more than £1.9bn in a year.

Sixteen out of these 20 – including Mr Day – saw an increase in their fortunes.

Robert Watts, the compiler of the Rich List, said: “Our north west list is an intriguing mix of old money and new, with the head of long-running family businesses rubbing shoulders with some of the country’s most exciting new entrepreneurial talent.”