A concrete firm in Norway is suing the government for allegedly trying to recruit employees to spy on Russia with such clumsiness that Moscow discovered the conspiracy and cancelled a major contract.

Olen Betong, a concrete manufacturer, has accused Norway's intelligence services of making indiscreet attempts to turn two employees in the Murmansk region into informants.

The unprecedented legal case had led to speculation that some of the top spies in Norway's Intelligence agency, NIS, may have more in common with Johnny English - the bumbling fictional spy played by Rowan Atkinson - than James Bond.

The company alleges that several approaches by the intelligence services over the past decade caught the attention of the Russian government, and that this led to Olen Betong losing a lucrative contract and being mired in legal trouble. The two employees were arrested and interrogated in Murmansk before being declared persona non grata in Russia for ten years.

Per Ristvedt, the company's lawyer, said the case was unique in Norwegian judicial history. "Norway has and should have an intelligence service. But it cannot be allowed to operate in a way that puts private individuals and companies at too much risk," Mr Ristvedt told the Oslo district court.

"There has to be a limit."

Commenting on the landmark court case, Russia security specialist Dr Mark Galeotti, said: “Frankly it’s an embarrassment for the Norwegians. The whole point of intelligence is that they should operate behind the scenes. You only get to see them when they have screwed up.”

He added: “This case is a big deal because the courts are involved. That brings publicity, and usually, public access to documents aired during proceedings.

“At the very least, this is an embarrassment for the Norwegians. At worst, it reveals details of procedures and methods that the Russians would be delighted to hear.”

Olen Betong is seeking 140 million Norwegian kroner (£11m) in damages from the Norwegian government. Although the Norwegian government admits that contacts were made by the intelligence services, it insists they did not act carelessly and that discussions about security were part of normal operations.

"Norwegian intelligence has only done its job," Fredrik Sejersted, Norway's attorney general, said in opening remarks in court.

The trial is set to last five days and feature ex-foreign minister and current Labour opposition leader Jonas Gahr Store. Another witness is Frode Berg, who was imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges but released last year in a spy swap.

Mr Berg was jailed for 14 years after admitting to acting as a courier for Norwegian intelligence, though he insisted in an interview last year that he was not a spy.