A JUDGE has expressed concern about the legal costs being run up in a high court cash fight between a Scots businessman and his estranged wife.

Mr Justice Moor said he had no doubt he was "going to be saying something" about costs incurred in the dispute between Scot Young, 51, and his estranged wife, Michelle Young.

The trial - in the Family ­Division of the High Court in London - began on October 31 and is expected to last several weeks.

Mrs Young, 49, estimates that Mr Young is worth "a few billion at least" and claims "there was a vast fortune hidden".

She has told Mr Justice Moor she would settle for £300 million plus legal expenses.

Mr Young, originally from Dundee, disputes his estranged wife's claims and has said he is penniless and bankrupt, a victim of financial meltdown and hopelessly insolvent. At one point in proceedings he asked the judge if her "ranting" was allowed.

Mr Justice Moor said he will have to decide how much Mr Young is worth.

The judge told the court: "I have no doubt I am going to be saying something about the costs in this case. It has concerned me, the amount of costs being run up in this case."

Financial investigator Burke Files told Mr Justice Moor that Mr Young had restructured his empire and had moved assets around.

Mr Files, who had been asked to investigate Mr Young's finances by Mrs Young, said: "This is not unusual in the least bit. The money is a tool. It goes back into the system to be used. The velocity of the money circulation ... can only be guessed."

The judge has heard that the Youngs, who both live in London and have two daughters, separated in 2006 after starting a relationship in 1989. They have been fighting over money for several years.

Mrs Young has previously told the court she enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle when living with Mr Young. She said: "We had vast estates. We had staff. We had a very luxury lifestyle."

She added that Mr Young would spend up to £5000 for a restaurant meal, and that they had gone to a Raymond Blanc restaurant twice a week.

She also said Mr Young had paid £2m to £4m for "a flash gin-palace, Sunseeker-type boat"; that she had jewellery which Mr Young had said cost a million pounds and that they went on three to four foreign holidays a year, staying in presidential suites.

She previously told the judge: "We had a chandelier in our drawing room. The other chandelier sits in the White House. They were valuable assets."

She said they had lived in Belgravia, central London, for three or four years and in Miami, Florida, where they owned three Porsche cars.

She said they had moved house a number of times and the profit on one house was £10m.

However, Mrs Young said Mr Young was incredibly secretive about finance.

She said: "There was a vast fortune hidden. He used offshore vehicles and many advisers and accountants to layer these assets."

Mrs Young said she wanted a £25m house and to live in Belgravia. She said: "It's a nice area. It's very safe. This case is not about means. It's about quality."

The couple have been fighting over money for several years.

In January, Mr Justice Moor imposed a six-month prison term on Mr Young after concluding he had failed to provide financial information to his wife during preliminary stages of litigation and was in contempt of court.

The trial is being staged in private but Mr Justice Moor has given permission for it to be reported.