County sees teen pregnancy drop

Peer pressure is one of the biggest factors in young people having sex

Fewer teenage girls are becoming pregnant in Cornwall.

There has been a 10% fall in numbers since 1998 for girls aged between 15 and 17, according to new figures.

The government statistics show 35 in every 1,000 teenage girls become pregnant in Cornwall, down from 40 in 1,000 seven years ago.

The figures have been welcomed by county health officials, who said pregnancy had a dramatic impact on the lives of young people.

The government described the figures, published by the Department of Health, as encouraging, but added it wanted to see further falls in the pregnancy rates.

The figures will be debated at a conference on the subject being held in Taunton, Somerset, on Friday.