OVER 600,000 small investors were left out of pocket today after the flotation of British Energy, the operator of Britain's eight most modern nuclear power stations, turned out to be a damp squib. The shares, which had been priced at the lower end of the British government's target range, saw over 10 per cent of their value wiped out by the end of the day. The shares opened at 105p yesterday morning but slid steadily during the day to close at 94p. Small investors lost out despite having to pay only 100p for the shares because of a 5p discount designed to encourage interest.