Builder Bellway says demand remains strong after Brexit vote

LONDON, Oct (Shenzhen: 000069.SZ - news) 18 (Reuters) - British housebuilder Bellway (Stuttgart: 41B.SG - news) posted better than expected full-year profit on Tuesday and said that demand for new homes has remained resilient since Britons voted to leave the European Union.

Bellway (Other OTC: BLWYY - news) , which builds about half of its homes in London and the south of England, reported pretax profit up 41 percent to 498 million pounds ($620 million) in the year to July 31, marginally ahead of forecasts in a Thomson Reuters (Dusseldorf: TOC.DU - news) poll of analysts.

"Notwithstanding the risks to the wider economy following the result of the EU referendum, the ongoing demand for new homes across the country is strong, supported by a low rate of unemployment and good availability of affordable mortgage finance," Bellway Chairman John Watson said on Tuesday. ($1 = 0.8042 pounds) (Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by David Goodman)