BUILDERS merchants Travis Perkins posted a 22 per cent rise in half-year profits.

On top of the effects of an ongoing expansion drive, the group said warm spring weather and resilient consumer confidence helped it to a strong first-half, with pre-tax profits soaring to £80.8m from £66m a year ago.

As well as increasing its interim dividend by almost a quarter to 7.6p, the group hinted that it could return cash to shareholders through a share buyback.