Paul McCartneyPaul McCartney has reportedly told his lawyer to offer Heather Mills a £30million pay-off to “get her off my back”.

Paul is said to have made the order while on their way to lunch during the third day of hearings at the Royal Courts of Justice in London yesterday.

A bystander at the High Court told the Sun: “I was about a yard behind them. He was very irate and told his lawyer, ‘Offer her £30million - get her off my back’.”

“His lawyer replied, ‘We’ll have to see about that later’.”

“Paul then took a call on his mobile phone and they got into their car and were driven off.”

Monday and Tuesday’s court sessions are thought to have gone well but relations took a downturn yesterday as Heather read a sample of the hate mail she’d received since splitting from the former Beatle in June 2006. Boxes of the messages were wheeled into the court, along with another box of ‘fan mail’, dating from before and during their marriage when she was praised by the public for her charity work and determination despite losing a leg.

A source told the Mirror: “She thinks the judge should know her image has been tarnished as a result of her marriage and its breakdown - and take that into account when deciding how much of Paul’s millions he should award.

“She feels it has had an impact on her ability to do charity work and her future earning potential.”

She also brought up the hate mail as justification for her requests for extra money for security - for both her own safety and that of their daughter, Beatrice: “She was determined to make it clear that the marriage is the reason she needs protection, and that he should therefore pay for it. She believes that very strongly because she really does fear for her life.”

According to the Daily Mail, the latter point also sparked another new argument between the former husband and wife: what shape Beatrice’s education should take. The four year old is set to start school in the autumn and Heather is said to be keen that she attends a private school for both the education and the greater privacy - but Paul believes private education “messes up” children.

A source close to Paul explained: “They both want the best for Bea obviously but have completely different ideas on how it should be achieved. They’ll be arguing about her upbringing for the next 14 years but at least this battle will be refereed by a judge.”

The hearing is expected to end tomorrow, with the hope that both parties will agree on an “in principle” settlement.