Down the list, sports retailer Black Leisure edged up 0.5p at 61.5p after rejecting a bid from Sports Direct it considered inadequate. Shares in Sports Direct fell 0.7p at 105.1p in reaction.

Flooring specialist Headlam added 6.25p at 280p, although revealing that profit before tax fell 45% to £22m in the year to end-December. The group said it was optimistic about a return to growth in 2010.

Building services group T Clarke gained 9.5p at 158p when it reported profit before tax of £6.8m for the year to end-December and held its final dividend at 8.75p, giving an unchanged total of 13p.

Story provided by Business Financial Newswire