New home registrations hit the same level as last year during the third quarter, prompting the National House Building Council to proclaim that the sector is ‘shrugging off post-EU referendum nerves’.

The number of NHBC new home registrations – referring to a builder registering a new plot to be built and covered by NHBC’s ten-year Buildmark warranty – was 35,953 between July and September 2016, compared to 35,954 for the same period last year.

The affordable sector was up 18% with 9,191 new homes registered compared to 7,764 this time last year, while 26,762 new homes were registered in the private sector, a 5% decrease on the 28,190 of a year ago.

There were regional differences, with the South-East and North-West registering a 56% and 48% increase in respective registrations, while Scotland and London saw a 38% and 45% respective drop annually.

Meanwhile, the number of completions in the third quarter increased by 5% to 33,341.

Mike Quinton, chief executive of NHBC, said: “Our latest statistics show that the industry continues to consolidate on the strong growth in registrations seen in recent years.

“Following a quiet July, registrations bounced back in August and September as the industry shrugged off early nervousness following the vote to leave the EU.

“NHBC remains fully committed to support the industry to build new homes to the highest possible standards.”