Mohamed Al Fayed today won a stake in the proceeds of an oil field in Surrey that had been pumping from under his land without his knowledge for 17 years.

Mr Justice Peter Smith, sitting at the High Court in London, awarded the Harrod’s owner nine per cent of the £6.9 million the oil field had earned since 2000 and the same percentage of future income.

The judge heard during the case that the owners of the wells at Oxted, Surrey, did not tell Mr Al Fayed what was happening beneath his farm.

The three wells were drilled diagonally and passed under the Oxted Estate at a depth of at least 800 feet. Production began in October 1990 and more than 1 million barrels were extracted by 2007.

The wells initially produced 9,000 barrels a month but the rate had now reduced to 2,000 barrels a month.

Mr Al Fayed noticed the oil rig next to his estate in 1992 and instructed his lawyers to investigate, the judge said.

It was not until Mr Al Fayed saw records held at the British Geological Survey in 2006 that he realised the pipelines were beneath his land.

Mr Al Fayed’s holding company Bocardo sued Star Energy, the owner of the wells, claiming 12.5 per cent of the income from the well.

Mr Justice Peter Smith said that Mr Fayed could have no claim to the oil itself because it belonged to the Crown; however, he made an award for trespass.

Although the judge said Mr Al Fayed’s land had suffered no damage as a result of the drilling, he rejected the oil company’s argument that its activities did not constitute trespass because of this.

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