An increase in the amount of new homes being built should come as good news for those struggling to get on the property ladder.

Data from the National House Building Council has revealed the number of new homes registered to be built in the UK topped 156,000 in 2015.

That is not just a seven per cent increase on 2014, when 146,359 were registered, but also marks an eight-year high after the housing crash of 2009.

Locally, the West Midlands has seen a nine per cent increase in the number of new homes being planned.

That breaks down as 13,478 properties registered in 2015 compared to 12,330 in 2014.

NHBC chief executive Mike Quinton said that 2015 was “a year for continued housing growth in the UK.

“Both the public and private sectors have performed well and we have seen encouraging levels of house-building across most regions of the country.”

The number of detached and semi-detached homes being built has also surged, he revealed.

“House builders are building the highest number of detached properties for over a decade, with semi-detached homes also at their highest level in more than 20 years.

“There is still a way to go before we are building the levels of new homes that were seen before the economic downturn, but 2015 represents consolidation on the growth seen over the last three years.”