Barratt non-exec opens account

Mark Rolfe, a non-executive director at Barratt, has followed the lead of the chairman, spending £18,600 on shares in the housebuilder today.

He bought 30,000 shares in the company, having previously had none, paying just over 62p a time.

On Tuesday, chairman Bob Lawson took 151,841 shares at 65.3p a time, the same day the firm warned of more write downs as house prices keep falling.

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"Conditions in the housing market have remained extremely challenging with poor consumer confidence, continuing restrictions on the availability of mortgage finance, and further pressure on pricing," the firm said.

"Against this backdrop, Barratt continues to focus on maximising sales revenues, reducing costs and generating cash to reduce debt levels."

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