UK's FTSE touches 14-month high, though miners fall

* FTSE 100 at highest level since June 2015, closes flat

* Weak China data weighs on mining stocks

* Though Restaurant Group soars after CEO departure (Recasts, adds details and updates prices at close)

By Kit Rees and Sudip Kar-Gupta

LONDON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Britain's top share index steadied on Friday after reaching a 14-month high, though mining stocks fell following a weak set of data from China

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed flat in percentage terms at 6,916.02 points, touching its highest level since June 2015 earlier in the session.

The FTSE 100 is up around 11 percent so far in 2016.

Record (LSE: REC.L - news) low interest rates set by the Bank of England have helped the UK stock market recover from a slump in the immediate aftermath of June's vote for Britain to quit the European Union.

The Bank of England's measures have also hit returns on bonds and cash, driving investors to the better returns on offer from stocks, although the value of UK shares in U.S (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) . dollar terms has been impacted by a fall in sterling.

"Unattractive gilt yields and the weaker pound have improved investors' appetite in the UK stock market," said Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior market analyst at London Capital Group.

ETX Capital markets analyst Neil Wilson echoed that view, arguing the FTSE 100 could hit the 7,000 point level given the poor returns on offer elsewhere.

"As government and corporate bond yields tumble, in the short term UK equities look more and more appealing to yield-starved investors," he said.

However, mining stocks slipped back as copper prices fell after some economic data from China -- the world's biggest metals consumer -- missed market expectations.

Shares (Berlin: DI6.BE - news) in Antofagasta (Other OTC: ANFGF - news) , Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO.L - news) , Anglo American, Glencore (Frankfurt: 8GC.F - news) and BHP Billiton (NYSE: BBL - news) all fell between 1.5 percent to 3.4 percent.

Outside of the blue chips, Restaurant Group (Other OTC: RSTGF - news) soared nearly 11 percent to record its biggest daily gain since March 2009 after the company ousted its chief executive.

Biotechnology firm Genus (Frankfurt: 762548 - news) , however, dropped over 8 percent after a U.S. District Court ruled against the company in patent litigation. (Editing by Toby Chopra)