UK blue chips closed up, well off highs, with weakness seen among oil stocks on the back of volatile oil prices, while airlines gained, the AFP reported.
At the close, the FTSE 100 index was up 11.1 points at 6,069.6, off a peak of 6,122.2, while the FTSE 250 index was 23.1 points higher at 10,057.3.
The Royal Bank Of Scotland was the most traded stock, seeing 257 units change hands, followed by Vodafone which saw 183 million shares switch owners.
Imperial Tobacco NPR was the worst performing blue chip, down 38.5 pence -- or 6.77 percent -- to finish at 530, while retailer Marks and Spencer lost 14.75 pence -- or 3.73 percent -- to end at 381.
Admiral was a top blue chip riser, adding 35 pence -- or 4.12 percent -- to finish at 884.5 followed by Schroders, which was up 29.5 pence -- or 3.29 percent -- to stand at 926.