Housebuilder Berkeley Group said it is still on course to deliver full year profits of £500m, despite its numbers taking a hit because of covid in the first half..

The firm, which works predominantly in London and the South-east, said pre-tax profit in the six months to October fell nearly 17% to £230.8m – below expectations of £240m. Revenue was down 3.8% to £896m with the number of homes sold during the period slipping to 1,104 from 1,389 a year earlier.