New figures have revealed more than 160,000 new homes were registered to be built in UK in 2017.

The latest statistics from the National House Building Council (NHBC) state there was a 6% rise in the number of registered homes last year (160,606) than compared with 2016 (152,017).

The private sector grew by 3% with 118,825 new homes registered, while the 'affordable' sector rose by 14% to 41,781 – the highest yearly total for the sector since NHBC electronic records began 30 years ago. New homes completions were also up 4% from 141,685 to 147,278.

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The largest rise in new home registrations were recorded in the East Midlands (+19%; 14,481 and Wales (+19%; 5,470). In Scotland, 12,785 new homes were registered compared with 11,574 in 2016.

Overall, the 160,606 figure is the highest since pre-recession levels of a decade ago.

NHBC Chief Executive Steve Wood said: "Our figures show the market has delivered strong growth resulting in the highest new home figures for a decade and growth across the majority of the UK, including London for the first time since 2014.

"Looking ahead, NHBC will continue to work with the industry to help raise the standards of new homes. With 6% growth in the quantity of new home registrations, the focus on delivering quality for consumers remains critical."

(LM)