SHELL enjoyed record net income last year of £5.69 billion sterling, a 30 per cent increase on 1995's figure, the oil giant revealed yesterday.

The group, which also announced plans for a two-for-one share split, a move adopted by many companies to make the stock more marketable, warned that crude prices may show some renewed weakness in the near future.

Last year, on a current cost basis excluding special items and price fluctuations, earnings soared to £5.2 billion from £4.5 billion previously.