Latest NHBC figures reveal that the February total of 9,484 registrations was down by more than a 1,000 on 2012.

NHBC’s Commercial Director Richard Tamayo said: “Although the results for February in isolation are not particularly strong, the rolling quarter shows that the number of new homes being registered continues to increase.

“Our latest statistics show there is still a way to go before the country starts seeing figures on a par with pre-recession registration statistics, but the new measures revealed in last week’s Budget show that the Government remains committed to boosting the house-building sector.”

The number of new homes registered in the UK increased by 14% for the rolling quarter December to February compared to the same period last year.

Both private and public sector homes rose at the same rate to 21,336 and  8,221 homes respectively.

In total 29,557 new homes were registered from December 2013 to February 2014, compared to 26,004 for the corresponding period 12 months ago.