NORTH-EAST rock star Sting earns £1 every second and is now worth more than Elton John and Mick Jagger.

The superstar's latest accounts show the son of a Newcastle milkman earned £25m in just eight months, pushing his fortune to an estimated £200m.

Former teacher Sting, real name Gordon Sumner, whose hits include Every Breath You Take, is now second only to Sir Paul McCartney in terms of pop star earnings.

Dr Philip Beresford, who compiles the Sunday Times Rich List, said: "Every Breath You Take takes on a new meaning for Sting - about a £1 a breath."

Steerpike - Sting's main company - paid him a salary of £22,818,285 plus a dividend of £2,325,000, making a total of £25,143,285.

Most of his money comes from lucrative overseas tours. But royalties also continue to pour in from his back catalogue of hits, with eighties group The Police and as a solo artist.

Every Breath You Take alone brings in £1,000 a day just from radio airplay rights.

Dr Beresford said: "Sting can still sell out any rock stadium in the world. He is also not a big spender like Sir Elton John, which is why he has amassed such a huge fortune."

Elton John and Mick Jagger are estimated to be worth £160m each.

Father-of-six Sting, who is married to actress Trudie Styler, 48, recently spent £3.5m on a vineyard next to his Italian home in Tuscany.

He also has homes in London, Wiltshire, Los Angeles, New York and Malibu, where he paid £4m for Dallas star Larry Hagman's estate.