THE Wiltshire-based inventor Sir James Dyson, 61, whose name will always be associated with the Dyson bagless vaccum cleaner, has proved his business to be recession proof.

In the last 12 months he has seen his fortune rise by 64 per cent in a year to £920m from £560m according to the 2010 Sunday Times Rich List.

Profits at the Dyson operation, based in Malmesbury, in 2008 were £85.3m. Since 1999, Dyson and his family have taken more than £278m in salaries and dividends from their business.

Sir James, pictured, is number one in the south west wealth list but only ranks at 61st in the national list. Among other notable movers and shakers is fashion retailer Julian Dunkerton who saw his fortune soar by 157 per cent to £180m after the market float of his Cheltenham-based SuperGroup.

One of two new entries to the Rich List top 20 for the south west is Bruce Craig, worth £300m, who this month bought Bath rugby club from Andrew Brownsword, who is now worth £190m. Craig netted his £300m fortune when he sold, Marken, a pharmaceutical logistics firm in December.

The 22nd annual Sunday Times Rich List is published in a 104-page supplement on Sunday. It profiles the 1,000 richest people and families in the UK and the wealthiest 250 in Ireland. The list is based on identifiable wealth – land, property, other assets such as art and racehorses, or significant shares in publicly quoted companies – and excludes bank accounts, to which the paper has no access.