Figures released by the Office of National Statistics show that from 1998 to 2006, teenage pregnancy rates in East Sussex have dropped by 6.7 per cent and the rates are at the lowest for 20 years in England.

However, the figure in Eastbourne is more than the county's average. The latest teenage pregnancy rates for Eastbourne, which date from 2005, show a rate of 40.6 pregnancies per 1,000 young people, and the East Sussex average is 37.3 per 1,000 young people.

A spokesperson for East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT and East Sussex County Council said, "We are committed to reducing teenage pregnancies.

"Much is being done in our schools, with parents, through youth clubs and with our public sector partners through the East Sussex Teenage Pregnancy Partnership, to achieve that.

"We believe we are making progress in helping young people to make more informed choices and are confident that the measures we now have in place will successfully reduce incidents of teenage pregnancy in the county.

"The figures for East Sussex are below the national average and the vast majority of the cases involve teenage girls over the age of 16."