THE self-made multi-millionaires of East Lancashire have seen their paper fortunes seesaw over the past year, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List.

Some have shot up the league table of Britain's wealthiest while others have tumbled as their company fortunes nosedived on the stock market.

And a handful have dropped out of the list altogether as their fortunes failed to match those of the 1,000 richest.

The Walker family's fortune was estimated to have remained unchanged at £600million, but saw Jack and Fred drop three places in the table to 27th richest in the country.

Former Rovers star David Whelan, who got his first taste of business running a corner shop in Blackburn, was one of the biggest fallers in the league table.

The poor share price performance of his JJB sports shop chain saw his family's estimated fortune fall from £350million to £130million and his placing down to 170th in the table from 56th.

The continued success of holiday giant Airtours saw founder David Crossland's estimated fortune rise by £100million to £390million. The former Burnley schoolboy is now the fourth richest man in the North West.

And John Lancaster, who founded Clitheroe-based conservatory roofing firm Ultraframe, made it into the top ten richest men in the North West. His estimated fortune has risen from £103million to £150million.

The brothers behind the Granville Technology Group computer empire at Simonstone, Tahir Mohsan and Tariq Mohammed, jumped more than 200 places up the league table.

Based on the company's latest accounts, compilers of the list reckon the pair are worth £100million - twice the estimated figure for last year - and putting them at 227th in the league table.

The Yerburgh family, behind Blackburn brewers Thwaites, fell 47 places to 503rd on estimated wealth of £45million, down £1 million.

The Clarke family, behind the Barnoldswick-based Silentnight bed giant, came in at 471st in the table with a comfortable £50million tucked away.

Ribble Valley businessman Tony Cann soared 262 places up the table to 600th equal after the list reckoned he was worth around £40million, up from £22 million last year.

Edenfield developer John Whittaker, the man whose Peel Holdings property development group built the Trafford Centre, fell slightly on estimates that his wealth had dropped by £25million to £250 million.

But three notable figures dropped out of the list this year. Dr Brian Mercer, founder of Netlon in Blackburn, who was estimated to be worth £40million died late last year.

And Colin Mustoe, who heads fast growing office furniture manufacturer Senator International, based at Altham, who made it into the list for the first time last year, but didn't make it onto this year's.

His stake in the company was estimated to be worth around £20million - but the lowest fortune to be included in the list was £21million this year.

And Blackburn's £17million lottery winner - whose identity this newspaper has never revealed - also just missed out with his estimated fortune of £20 million. The Duke of Westminster is still by far the richest man in the North West with a property portfolio worth an estimated £1,750million.

He is followed by the Moores family, which is behind the Littlewoods group, with an estimated family fortune of £1 billion.

Other Lancashire people to make it into this year's top 1,000 include Trevor Hemmings, the former bricklayer who owns a major stake in Scottish and Newcastle, (£320 million), disgraced tycoon Owen Oyston (£60 million), John Hargreaves whose family founded the Matalan chain of fashion shops in Preston (£220 million) and John Cotton, who sold the John Cotton car interiors factory at Colne for 33million dollars, with a fortune of £50 million.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.