The 131-year-old firm reported a 15 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to £61.7 million for the six months to June.

Legal completions rose five per cent to 1,601 new homes, with the average sale price up 14 per cent to £254,500.

Revenues rose 18 per cent to £412.8 million in the six months to June 30 and gross housing profit rose 19 per cent to £100.3 million on flat operating margin at 15.5 per cent.

Bovis said it has already made over 90 per cent of the sales it had planned for the year by the end of last week - with average prices hitting £254,500. The group also raised its dividend by 9 per cent to 15p a share.

Commenting on first half trading, Bovis Homes Group chief executive, David Ritchie, said it was still “too early” to judge the impact of the EU Referendum and the Bank of England’s monetary policy response, but added the “underlying market fundamentals for UK housing remain positive”.

He added: “We have been pleased with the resilient level of interest shown by potential home buyers contacting us. “Our robust balance sheet, with debt lower than last year, means that we are well positioned to continue to take advantage of prime land opportunities at potentially higher returns.

“Overall, we remain confident in our strategy to deliver long-term growth in shareholder returns.”

Looking ahead, Ritchie said Bovis is “well placed” to continue to deliver “strong performance through the remainder of the year”.