WHEN it comes to exclusive clubs they don't come much pricier than this.The Sunday Times Rich List, which charts the 1,000 wealthiest people in the land, is free to join but you can forget about membership unless you have as much moolah as a monarch.

WHEN it comes to exclusive clubs they don't come much pricier than this.

The Sunday Times Rich List, which charts the 1,000 wealthiest people in the land, is free to join but you can forget about membership unless you have as much moolah as a monarch.

However one Suffolk man is celebrating today after squeezing into the elite collective with an estimated wealth of £70million.

Richard Cattermole, 62, of Westerfield, and his family have entered the list at joint 949 but despite his new status the businessman told The Evening Star that every Monday morning it is still work as usual.

Mr Cattermole, who owns more than 1,300 properties, 70 pubs and around 30 hotels, said: “I knew I was near to getting in for about five years.

“I'm rather chuffed about it but it doesn't mean much because you have to sell everything to get the money.”

“It doesn't mean you are happier or will live longer.

“You can only have three meals a day and you still have to put petrol or diesel in your car like everyone else.

“You still go to work on Monday morning like everybody else - you don't have a week off because you are rich.

“You live quite a decent life but it doesn't stop me being hard on my sons - I have always believed that they have to earn their money.

“That's the way I was brought up and the way I bring my children up.

Mr Cattermole said he feels his family's true wealth could be significantly higher than the £70million estimate if all his assets were taken into account and his portfolio of more than 1,500 properties were accurately valued.

However he declined to be drawn on what he thinks the figure would come to.

Despite his grand accomplishments he said he never knew his life would turn out in such a way.

He said: “I didn't really think or know I would grow up to be wealthy.

“I retired from the Merchant Navy when I was 27 and had already got into the property market a couple of years before.

“I love work and want to continue being successful.

“It is striving for success that drives me on.”

Fastfacts: What you can do with £70million

Car enthusiasts could splash out on 90 Bugatti Veyrons - currently the world's fastest car, capable of 253mph - at £757,359 a pop.

You could buy a round of drinks at £2.50 each for 28 million people - a figure equivalent to the combined populations of Australia and Switzerland.

Art fans could make an offer to buy the world's most expensive painting - Jackson Pollock's No. 5 - although it was sold last November for £75million so a bit of haggling would be required.

You could pay in cash for the UK's most expensive home in Windlesham, Surrey, for around the £70million mark. The home boasts 58-acres of land, a private cinema, bowling alley, indoor squash court, an all-weather floodlit tennis court and stabling for five horses.