Leading shares ended the month on a downbeat note, hit by continuing worries about the situation in Libya and disappointing figures from HSBC.

After Friday's embarrassing four hour halt in LSE trading, things seem to be back to normal so far, although Associated British Foods and HSBC may have preferred it to be otherwise.

Fears of escalating unrest in the Middle East and Libya sent shares into reverse, but one of the biggest fallers in the leading index was undermined by more parochial concerns.