THE number of new-build homes being registered has jumped to an 11-year high, says an industry body.

Some 43,578 new homes were registered across the UK between July and September.

The National House Building Council says that is the highest total since 2007.

The figures are taken from builders who are responsible for around 80 per cent of houses built in the UK.

Builders are required to register a house with the NHBC, a warranty and insurance provider, before starting work. This means the figures represent homes to be built in the months ahead.

The number of homes being registered was also 15 per cent up on July to September last year.

In the North West, however, that figure was down by seven per cent, with a total of 4,280 new homes registered, compared to 4,617 the same three months last year.

A rise in new-home registrations in the private and the affordable sector have helped push the country-wide figures up, said the NHBC.

London has seen the most dramatic increase in registrations - up 141 per cent to 6,007. This is partly due to a number of large developments being registered by housing associations and by investors focused on the private rental sector, said the NHBC.

Scotland, Yorkshire and Humberside and South-West England are also seeing "considerable growth".

NHBC chief executive Steve Wood said the figures showed "a strong demand for high-quality new homes in many parts of the UK".

He added: "Attaining the Government's target of 300,000 new homes by the middle of the next decade will require a real focus on innovation, particularly the use of modern methods of construction, and on building skills and capacity in the workforce onsite, topics many builders are actively grappling with."