Pubs and brewing group Marston’s today boosted its premium ale offering after buying Hampshire brewer Ringwood for £19.2m (€28.3m).

The London market ran out of steam today as British Airways and the operator of the UK’s biggest coal-fired power station both sustained heavy losses.

The FTSE 100 Index remained at a six-year high after Vodafone joined a clutch of property firms at the top of the Footsie risers board.