Burberry update knocks Britain's FTSE off of 2016 high

* FTSE 100 flat

* Burberry drops after sales fall

* Miners retreat from one-month high

* Entertainment One (Other OTC: ENTMF - news) surges on report of ITV (LSE: ITV.L - news) interest (Adds quote and detail, updates prices)

By Kit Rees and Alistair Smout

LONDON, April 14 (Reuters) - Britain's top share index edged lower down from its highest close in 2016 on Thursday, driven by a tumble in fashion firm Burberry after it reported falling sales and warned of tough trading conditions.

Burberry slid 5.9 percent, the top FTSE 100 faller, after it said a drop in tourist spending in continental Europe and weak demand in Hong Kong had depressed sales.

The group was also not optimistic for the current year, saying profit would come in towards the bottom of forecasts.

"Burberry has suffered of late due to its dependency on Hong Kong and China ... and it looks like the company's issues have no end in sight," Connor Campbell, financial analyst at Spreadex, said in a note. Burberry is suffering from weakness in both retail and wholesale divisions, he added.

Housebuilder Persimmon also dropped 4.1 percent after reporting its latest results, with analysts at UBS (LSE: 0QNR.L - news) citing concerns about the company's site count remaining under pressure after strong sales rates.

"This is a solid but largely unexciting update that does not change our stance on the stock or the sector. The risks are rising for the house builders...and we remain concerned about the longer term sustainability of the very favourable market conditions," Robin Hardy, analyst at Shore Capital Markets, said in a note.

The FTSE 100 index was flat in percentage terms at 6,360.87 points by 1117 GMT, having posted its highest close of 2016 in the previous session.

Much of the index's recent strength has been due to strength in the mining sector, which pulled back on Thursday to be the biggest sectoral faller.

Miners dropped 0.9 percent, sliding off a one-month high, as copper prices also eased off a recent peak.

Among outperformers, Johnson Matthey (LSE: JMAT.L - news) rose 2.3 percent, the top FTSE 100 riser, after Credit Suisse (LSE: 0QP5.L - news) lifted its rating on the chemical company to "outperform".

In the mid-caps, Debenhams (Other OTC: DBHSF - news) , Britain's second-largest department store group, rose 3.4 percent after it reported being close to naming a new boss as it beat forecasts with an 5.5 percent rise in first-half profit. That put Debenhams on track to meet full-year expectations.

"Interim results came in better than our forecast," analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald said in a note. It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) said the stock was not expensive but that longer term concerns remained, warranting a continued "hold" rating on the stock.

"We remain concerned that the department stores are capital intensive and need to be furbished to a higher standard to attract shoppers," Cantor Fitzgerald added.

Entertainment One rose 16 percent after a report that ITV was in talks to buy the Canadian broadcaster. Entertainment One said it had not received an approach, and ITV was broadly unchanged.

Hays (LSE: HAS.L - news) rose 9 percent after the firm reported solid results, even as it said it expected cautious client sentiment ahead of a referendum on Britain's European Union membership.

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Mike Dolan, Markets Editor EMEA. (Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Mark Heinrich)