SHARES in Bellway have risen by nearly four per cent in morning trading after the housebuilder lifted pre-tax profits by 44 per cent to £354.2 million.

Bellway cited favourable conditions in the housebuilding market as it sold a record 7,752 homes in the year ended July 31, up 13.2 per cent on the year prior.

The uplift helped drive turnover by 18.9 per cent to £1.76 billion over the period, the company told the City this morning.