UPDATE 1-Charteris H1 pretax profit falls 47 pct

* Says profit lower due to recession

* Delays in awarding contracts affecting business

* Tough conditions likely to worsen in the second half

* Shares seen down 7.5 percent

LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) - British IT consultancy Charteris (CHIS.L) said first-half pretax profit nearly halved as customers dithered over signing new contracts, while the trend is likely to worsen in the second half.

The company, which issued a profit warning last month, said on Tuesday its pretax profit before exceptional costs dropped to 353,000 pounds ($526.700) from 664,000 pounds last year, while its revenue went up to 11.6 million pounds from 11.2 million.

Chairman Cliff Preddy said the recession in the UK continued to create difficult trading conditions, resulting in a poor performance, while demand for services was likely to be lower in the second half than the first.

Preddy added the company would keep costs aligned to near to medium term revenue projections.