House sales boost

The number of homes sold jumped by 40 per cent between February and March, figures from HM Revenue and Customs disclose. There were 60,000 sales in March compared with a month earlier when sales totalled 43,000. Even when figures are seasonally adjusted – taking into account the traditional increase in home sales in spring – there was still a rise of 13 per cent. However, mortgage lenders warned that a strong revival in the market soon was unlikely.