SIR Paul McCartney's wealth soared by more than £20 million last year as the country's super-rich got even richer.

UK billionaires have seen their fortunes soar by more than a fifth as they shook off the financial toll of the pandemic, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List.

The list revealed that there are now a record 171 billionaires in the UK, with Ukranian-born Sir Leonard Blavatnik topping the pile as the richest person in the country.

Sir Paul and Nancy Shevell were amongst those who saw their riches rise, cementing his place as the wealthiest musician in the country, with a net worth of £820 million.

However, despite his rise in fortune, the former Beatle fell 22 places overall in the list.

It comes after 78-year-old released a new solo album, McCartney III, that was recorded during the lockdown on his Sussex farm.

Sir Paul hadn’t planned to release an album in 2020, but in the isolation of “rockdown,” he soon found himself fleshing out some existing musical sketches and creating even more new songs.

He said at the time: "I was living lockdown life on my farm with my family and I would go to my studio every day.

The Argus: The musician saw his fortunes soar during the pandemic The musician saw his fortunes soar during the pandemic

"I had to do a little bit of work on some film music and that turned into the opening track and then when it was done I thought what will I do next?

"I had some stuff I'd worked on over the years but sometimes time would run out and it would be left half-finished so I started thinking about what I had.

"Each day I'd start recording with the instrument I wrote the song on and then gradually layer it all up, it was a lot of fun.

"It was about making music for yourself rather than making music that has to do a job. So, I just did stuff I fancied doing. I had no idea this would end up as an album."

In November, Sir Paul will release The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, a book which recounts his story alongside 154 songs.

Describing how they were written, the book, costing £75, also reveals what inspires them and what he thinks of them now.