Strong spring start for Housebuilder

British housebuilder Taylor Wimpey said it had seen a strong start to the spring selling season as it posted a 68 per cent rise in 2014 profit and more than doubled its final dividend.

The company, which completed 12,454 homes across the UK in 2014, reported adjusted pretax profit of £450.1m, broadly in line with market expectations.

“The beginning of spring selling season has seen trading at the better end of expectations,” said chief executive, Pete Redfern, in a statement.

The company said it would pay a final dividend of 1.32p per share, up from 0.47p a year ago, in addition to special payouts, including 7.68p per share already announced for July.

Mr Redfern added: “The beginning of spring selling season has seen trading at the better end of expectations. Customer confidence is high with good levels of employment and an affordable mortgage environment.

“The UK housing market remains healthy and we are very confident in our ability to maximise returns on our investments whilst continuing to invest in the underlying quality of the business.”