A Bradford builders’ merchants is back on track for recovery after the harshest winter for 30 years and the prolonged closure of the road outside its main depot.

Manningham Concrete, one of Bradford’s largest independent builders merchants, is booming again, due to a recovery in construction boosted by fine weather at the start of the building season.

Managing director Alan Tomlinson said the closure of Cemetery Road in December due to a burst water main outside their Lidget Green base halted an upturn in trade which had been running at ten per cent ahead of the previous year.

This was followed by the snowfalls in January which brought business to a halt, except for sales of grit. Now things are back on track with sales up by 20 per cent as demand from the trade and the public bouncing back.

As a result of growing demand, Manningham Concrete has bought another 18-ton wagon, taking its fleet of delivery vehicles covering the Bradford area to eight.

The firm, which has three branches, has also seen trade bounce back at its new Victoria Road, Eccleshill, depot where the launch was bit by the onset of the recession.

Manningham Concrete has this month also launched a new roofing products range at its Scotchman Road branch. Footfall in its kitchen and bathroom showrooms had also picked up significantly Manningham Concrete is also maintaining its Buy British campaign launched last year and stocks primarily UK-made products.

Mr Tomlinson said: “We’ve been through a difficult patch due to the recession and then compounded by the road closure and the severe weather, “But we’re booming again with sales well up and demand growing from both trade and retail customers. Things are looking much better and this had enabled us to invest in the new truck to expand our delivery fleet.

“Construction is usually the first into recession and the first out and it looks as though the trade is leading the way back to recovery, if our experience is anything to go by.”

Housebuilder Redrow confirmed this trend by predicting a return to profit for the first time since 2007.

The group, which had losses of £8.7 million in the six months to December 31, is forecasting a surge in sales which will see it move out of the red in the second half of its year.

Redrow is expecting to complete more than 2,500 house sales this year – up on the 2,113 reported in its last financial year.

It said average prices of private houses had increased year-on-year and against the first half, while activity in the land market had also seen a “noticeable increase”. However, the company said that despite a recent revival, the UK property market was not out of the woods yet.

Redrow said: “We have been encouraged by sales activity since the start of the calendar year.

“Given the uncertainties surrounding the election, the economic environment and continued restrictions on mortgage availability, we expect the market to remain challenging throughout 2010.”