Britain's super-rich have bucked the economic downturn and increased their collective wealth by 18% in the past year.The 1,000 best-off people in the country are now worth £395.8bn, according to the 2011 Sunday Times Rich List.
The number of billionaires in the UK now stands at 73 - up from 53 last year and almost matching the record of 75 reached before the recession when the collective wealth of the top 1,000 was £413bn.
Among the new billionaire entries are Douglas and Dame Mary Perkins, aged 68 and 67, the founders of Specsavers, and their family, who are worth £1.15bn.
The 42% increase in their wealth from last year, when the couple's fortune stood at £810m, makes Dame Mary Britain's first self-made woman billionaire.
There are now 108 women among the 1,000 richest - the first time the proportion has surpassed 10%. (read more)
