A reclusive billionaire who owns the most expensive home in the US has been accused of making his firms go bankrupt to avoid their environmental responsibilities.

Ira Rennert is said to have taken RG Steel into administration rather than pay the $650million he was liable for to treat a contaminated facility in Maryland.

Environmental campaigners claim his actions are part of a pattern where he put his firms and their workers at risk rather than pay the bills.

They have accused him of being fraudulent with bankruptcy courts - and said he is guilty of ‘ducking out of any kind of responsibility’ yet again.

Rennert is best known for the 29-bedroom estate he built in Sagaponack in The Hamptons in New York which is said to be worth $198million, the most expensive home in America.

But he is also a target for environmental groups because of what they see as his total disregard for the planet.