The number of new homes registered to be built hit an 8-year high in 2015, according to the National House Building Council (NHBC).

The council said 156,140 new homes were registered, a 7% increase on 2014, and 75% more than the time of the housing crash in 2009.

Mike Quinton, NHBC Chief Executive, said: “We are pleased to report 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 detached home continues its resurgence, with our figures showing that 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.”

London led the way with 25,994 new home registrations, although this figure was down 9% on 2014’s record total.

The majority of UK regions saw strong growth with the East up 23%, the North West rising 16% and an increase of 15% in Scotland.