HE MAY earn more in a year than most of us will in our entire lives but when it comes to climbing up Cheshire's rich list, it appears footballer Wayne Rooney has some way to go yet.

A new study into the county's richest residents has placed the Croxteth-born England striker joint 49th out of 50 names.

It is the first time the young hero to thousands of school children has made the list.

The earnings of the striker and his childhood sweetheart, Coleen McLoughlin, have been placed together for the purposes of the survey.

The fact that the couple live in Prestbury, close to Macclesfield and within easy commuting distance of Manchester United's training ground, has made them eligible for the study, which appears in Cheshire Life magazine this month.

It puts his football salary at £50,000 a week, a figure which appears small when compared with his off-the-field deals.

He has a contract with sports producer Nike, said to be worth £5million over 10 years, along with drink giant Coca Cola, and Electronic Arts.

The couple also signed a deal earlier this year with Asda, although that will now focus on Coleen as the new face of the company's clothing range.

The pair also have book deals and their house is said to be worth £4m.

He isn't the only footballer on the list. England defender and Manchester United team mate Rio Ferdinand appears at number 47, while John Ryan, the chairman of Doncaster Rovers, makes an appearance at 36th by virtue of the fact his plastic surgery business is based in Knutsford.

At the top, and unlikely to be moved for a very long time, is the Duke of Westminster, said to be worth £6.6bn.

Much of his wealth comes from owning massive areas of land in Lancashire and Cheshire, as well as in Scotland and London.

He is behind the Grosvenor Holdings company which is currently spending £900m in Liverpool city centre.

The list, compiled by one of the authors of the respected Sunday Times Rich List, concludes that the total wealth of Cheshire's 50 richest is £11.4bn.

That is a rise of 30% in the last two years, and is based on land holdings, shares in companies and proceeds from business deals. n THE chief executive of the North West Development Agency has warned that Cheshire's idyllic image could be hurting its long-term sustainability.

Steven Broomhead said it was essential that the common perception of Cheshire, that of black and white "chocolate box" houses in idyllic countryside, has to be put to one side. He was speaking at a housing conference in the county which was looking at ways to tackle the growing problem of people being forced to move away because they cannot afford to buy homes.

Cheshire has some of the highest house prices outside London and the South East and demand for affordable home ownership and rented housing outstrips what housing providers can currently supply.

Themed Cheshire - It's Not All Black and White, the housing conference attracted housing professionals and those from partner sectors throughout the county.

Mr Broomhead outlined the success of the Cheshire economy, which brings opportunities for investment and how important housing supply is to the sustainability of this success.