British homebuilder Bovis Homes sounded a note of caution on the UK housing market today as it reported a £8.6m (€9.9m) loss in the first half of the year.

Construction workers have begun removing the steel skeleton of a contaminated skyscraper next to the World Trade Centre site, the most visible sign yet that the building is coming down.

Bovis Homes today said the Bank of England’s decision to leave the cost of borrowing on hold since last summer had helped boost trading this year.