BSW Timber, the Scottish-borders based firm that describes itself as Britain's biggest saw-milling business, suffered a 68% fall in profits in its latest financial year, amid challenging trading conditions, writes Mark Williamson.

The latest accounts for BSW timber show it made a £2.2m pre-tax profit in the year to March, down £4.6m from £6.8m in the preceding period. Turnover fell 12% to £159.5m, from £180.4m. In the accounts, the directors said the market was "more competitive for sales volumes" in the year to March, while log prices did not fall sufficiently. They added: "2013/14 will again be a challenging year but the company will continue its investment programme."

Controlled by the Brownlie family, BSW Timber runs six sawmills in the UK and one in Latvia. Its products are used in the construction industry.