* FTSE 100 down 0.5%, FTSE 250 down 0.4%

* IEA agrees to release record amount of oil in response

to crisis

* Legal & General ( LGGNF ) misses full year profit estimates

* Balfour Beatty forecasts profit growth

(Updates to market close)

March 11 (Reuters) - The UK's main indexes closed lower

on Wednesday, as oil prices continued toclimb on concerns

thatthe Middle East conflict will disrupt supply, while

disappointing corporate earnings also weighed on sentiment.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 closed down 0.5%, while the

mid-cap FTSE 250 fell 0.4%.

Global stocks have sold off sharply in recent days as the the

U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupted key shipping routes through

the Strait of Hormuz, pushing oil prices higher

and raising the risk of an inflation shock.

Brent crude rose above $90 a barrel on Wednesday despite the

International Energy Agency's proposal for a record release of

oil reserves as analysts warned it will be inadequate to ease

those fears.

British finance minister Rachel Reeves said she would

consider action to shield households from surging energy costs,

but that it was premature to cap tariffs or freeze fuel duty

now.

The energy index gained 2.1%, with oil majors

Shell and BP up 1.9% and 2.8% respectively.

Most other FTSE 350 sub-sectors were in the red.

Investors also assessed a slew of mixed corporate updates.

Legal & General ( LGGNF ) fell 6.7% after the insurer missed

estimates for its full-year profit and reported a lower solvency

ratio as CEO Antonio Simoes pursues an overhaul.

Robert Walters dipped 7.9% after the recruiter scrapped

its final dividend for 2025 following a swing to an annual

pretax loss due to a weak job market.

Balfour Beatty rose 8.9% after the construction group

forecast a high-single-digit percentage rise in 2026 profit from

operations, with a record order book heavy with UK power

projects, including nuclear power.