ONE of Cumbria's most active housebuilders, Persimmon, has shrugged off concerns that Brexit will harm the housing market.

Reporting bumper sales and profits for the first half of 2016, it said that house sales since July 1 are running 17 per cent higher than in the same period of 2015, confounding fears of a market slump.

Shares in Persimmon, and those of other housebuilders, plunged following the EU referendum result but the share price has rallied strongly in response to the buoyant half-year results.

Profit before tax rose 29 per cent to £352.3m, while turnover was 12 per cent higher at £1.49bn. Legal completions increased by six per cent to 7,238 new homes.

Jeff Fairburn, group chief executive, said: "Persimmon's robust trading performance in the first half of 2016 was driven by our continued focus on meeting market demand to deliver controlled sustainable growth.

“While the result of the EU referendum has created increased economic uncertainty, customer interest since then has been robust with visitor numbers to our sites around 20 per cent ahead year on year.

“Our private sale reservation rate July 1 is currently 17 per cent ahead of the same period last year.

“The group is now trading through the traditionally slower summer weeks but customer demand remains encouraging and we anticipate a good autumn sales season."

He added: "We are confident that our long-term strategic focus will continue to deliver strong returns for our shareholders."

York-based Persimmon – the UK’s biggest housebuilder by volume – is particularly active in Cumbria.

Live developments include Brackenleigh and Speckled Wood in Carlisle, Carleton Meadows at Penrith, Newlands Park at Dearham, and The Links, Seascale.

Its upmarket subsidiary Charles Church is building at Clover Fields on the southern edge of Carlisle.

Persimmon’s next Cumbrian schemes will be Tarraby View, off Windsor Way in the north of Carlisle, and Solway View in Adams Road, Workington, while Charles Church has a scheme in the pipeline at Ulverston, which will be known as Stone Cross Mansions.