Taylor Wimpey has increased pre-tax profits by a record 34.1 per cent following strong demand and good access to mortgages.

Pre-tax profit in 2015 came to £604 million, up from £450m a year earlier, as the group built more homes and improved its operating profit margin to more than 20 per cent.

Total completions were up 7.5 per cent to 13,219, while Taylor Wimpey sold its homes for 8 per cent more, at £230,000. The Help to Buy scheme accounted for 37 per cent (5,200 buyers) of Taylor Wimpey home sales in 2015.

The company’s order book hit a record 7,484 homes, worth £1.8 billion, at the end of the year.

Pete Redfern, chief executive, said: “2016 has continued to be positive across all of our regional markets, with demand strong and good access to mortgages.

“With a strong order book and high-quality landbank, we continue to work with stakeholders to ensure we open all sites with implementable planning and begin building as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“We are focused on continuous improvement in the basics of the business, through our continued investment in our people, product and customer service.”