FITNESS club owner Duncan Bannatyne is the region's highest entry in a rich list of Britain's top 500 earners.

The Darlington entrepreneur ranks at number 32 in the Sunday Times Pay List 2002 with £22m.

The 53-year-old is reported to have made the money after selling his stake in the Just Learning nursery school, which he launched in 1995.

Despite making millions from the sale and from his company, Bannatyne Fitness, he has not paid himself a salary in five years.

Last night, Mr Bannatyne, said: "Being included in this list acknowledges the achievements of building Bannatyne Fitness, a business that employs hundreds of people, and providing new business such as Just Learning."

He declined to comment on the Pay List's £22m figure.

The son of a steelworker, Mr Bannatyne started Quality Care Homes in 1987 with a £20,000 investment. When it was sold ten years later it was worth £26m.

He put £20m into Bannatyne Fitness, now one of Britain's biggest health club chains and sold his stake in Just Learning last December.

Other people from the region to be named in the newspaper's list of Britain's 500 highest paid people include Tyneside-born singer Sting, who ranks at 33 with £21.819m.

This year the former Police frontman has made money from a book deal, an album and tour earnings.

North-East film director Ridley Scott was at number 52 with £12m, Newcastle United director Douglas Hall was at number 110 with £6.242m and York-based Persimmon Homes founder Duncan Davidson was paid £5.82m.

Newcastle striker Alan Shearer earned an estimated figure of £4m thanks to a £1m-a-year deal with Umbro, £40,000-a-week earnings at St James Park and an endorsement deal with McDonalds.

Other regional entries include Gosforth-born actor Rowan Atkinson, Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren and Boro striker Alen Boksic, ex-Sunderland boss Peter Reid and Sir Peter Vardy of Sunderland-based Reg Vardy car group.

Britain's highest-paid astrologer, Jonathan Cainer, who lives in North Yorkshire, earned £2m.

The list has revealed that the rich are getting richer. The combined earnings of those featured in the list has risen from £3.323bn to £3.446bn, with a minimum entry of £1.537m in cash from salaries, dividends or share-sale proceeds.