The widow of a ‘genius’ black bin liner tycoon has lost a landmark court fight to gain total control of his £16million fortune, after a judge ruled her £20,000 a month income was ‘generous’.

Michael Cowan, who died from a brain tumour aged 78 in April 2016, built up his wealth from humble beginnings - making his fortune by introducing the humble black bin-bag into British households as an everyday item - at one point selling 200 million a year.

But In his final few months he married his lover of 25 years, Mary Jane Cowan, who became his second wife.

Mr Cowan, who was 'devoted to' Mary Jane, left her with hundreds of thousands of pounds in ready cash and also used his will to set up a structure of 'generous' trust funds, 'designed to meet her every reasonable need for the rest of her life'.

But his 77-year-old widow was not happy with the arrangement and this week brought a groundbreaking bid to persuade the High Court to grant her 'outright control' of her late husband's millions.

Her case was effectively a bid to establish a right for wives to have direct control over their husbands' riches after death, the High Court heard.