A BUSINESSMAN who bought a Sussex mansion for peace and quiet won £10,000 damages after claiming the noise from Gatwick's aircraft made his life a misery.

Graham Farley, 51, spent £420,000 on luxury Riverside House, at Blackboys, near Uckfield.

He won the compensation payout at the High Court when Judge Peter Baker ruled that chartered surveyor Michael Skinner had failed to abide by Mr Farley's instructions when inspecting the property.

Today Mr Skinner, of Hurstpierpoint, and his insurance company were deciding whether to appeal against the judgment.

He said "in all probability" they would do so.

Mr Skinner said: "The judgment found in my favour in respect of the claim in diminution in the value of the property.

"My main concern is that local residents and indeed residents through Sussex and Surrey should not be concerned that the value of their property is affected by the judgment."

Mr Skinner's counsel, Mr Max Simpson, told the judge after his ruling that Mr Farley's damages award would be dwarfed by the legal costs of the case.

But Malcolm Knott, for Mr Farley, observed: "This is not a greedy claimant. To put it bluntly, he doesn't need the money."

Mr Farley, who also has homes in Florida and London, spent £100,000 refurbishing the house before moving in and discovering that aircraft circled overhead before landing at Gatwick.

The judge said Mr Farley was "particularly vulnerable" to aircraft noise as he was an early riser.

He added that the law allowed only modest compensation for Mr Farley's "loss of amenity" and awarding him £10,000, adding: "I regret to say he is likely to find this almost derisory."

Had he known of the problem with aircraft noise, he would never have bought Riverside House.

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