Number of schoolgirl mums falls

figures have revealed. Parts of the area have been teenage pregnancy hot-spots due to social deprivation.

Close knit communities are also thought to put girls off going to the doctors for advice, for fear of people finding out. But in Blackburn with Darwen, 148 girls aged 15 to 17 became pregnant in 2003, compared to 169 a year when statistics were first recorded in 1998.

That equates to 43.2 teenage pregnancies per 1,000 female teenagers in the 15-17 year-old bracket, down from 45.8 in 2001 and 55.5 in 1998.

And it means that, for the first time, Blackburn with Darwen has fallen below the regional average for teenage pregnancies (44.9), and is close to matching the national average (42.3).

In Lancashire 930 girls aged 15-17 became pregnant in 2003, a rate of 40.6 per 1,000. In 2001, the rate was 41.1 per 1,000, even though places like

Burnley, Pendle, Hyndburn and Rossendale have traditionally had very high figures.

In Burnley, the rate of teenage conceptions fell from 74.1 per 1,000 young women in 1998, to 58.4 in 2001.

In Hyndburn, the figures showed a reduction in teenage conceptions from 67.1 to 62.4 per 1,000; while the figures for Pendle show a cut from 58.8 to 50.9.

Teenage conceptions in Rossendale fell from 50.7 to 50.2 per 1,000, while in Ribble Valley, the figure tumbled from 23.5 to 18.8.

Health bosses said today the "per 1,000" statistic was the most reliable

indicator of teenage

pregnancy levels, because it took into account

population fluctuations.

But the latest figures for Blackburn with Darwen show the conception rate is falling faster than the national average.

Both the Blackburn with Darwen Teenage Pregnancy Partnership and Lancashire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership have embarked on a variety of initiatives, some controversial, to drive down pregnancy rates.

Free condoms are now more readily available at chemists, and in some schools.

Campaigns have been launched, including some aimed at boys, at venues like McDonald's.