BILLIONAIRE property mogul John Whittaker has cemented his position as East Lancashire’s richest person.

The Edenfield-born property tycoon, behind the massive Peel property empire, is worth £2.175billion, compared to £2.075billion a year ago.

He has slipped from 28th to 29th spot in the Sunday Times Rich List - but with Media City at the heart of his portfolio, the future still looks bright.

The family of Blackburn Rovers benefactor Jack Walker have seen their coffers shrink by around £90million to £510milllion, leaving their ranking to slide from 128th to 168th.

In the year in which Jack’s brother Fred died, a poor run for the Flybe airline has contributed to their downfall.

Burnley-born former Airtours founder David Crossland, whose fortune has remained steady at £160million, falls from 430th to 462nd, and he is now investing in Manchester motoring website Netcars.

Ex-Rover Dave Whelan has seen his £190million accounts squeezed to an estimated £140million, dropping him 173 places down the pecking order to 537th.

Meanwhile Bill Archer, formerly of Mellor, who started up the Focus DIY chain, is next at £125million and placed 596th, among a glut of other bosses.

And Sir Rod Aldridge, the Capita king, comes in at 682nd, down 32 places from 2011 but still in the £110million bracket.

Matthew Riley, the CEO at Nelson-based Daisy Communications rubs shoulders with Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour, Rolling Stone Charlie Watts and Dragons Den’s Duncan Bannatyne, on £85million and the 869th slot.

The richest man in the UK remains steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, on £12.7billion, despite dropping £4.81billion year-on-year.

Edward Andrew, whose Altham firm makes pollution control equipment, just edges into ther top 1,000, at 989th, on £72million. Profits soared in 2011-12, allowing the Shorten Brook Drive outfit to swell Andrew’s bank balance from a previous estimate of £36million.