TEENAGE pregnancy figures in the Maldon district have fallen to their lowest rate on record.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics shows that, in 2015, teenage conceptions in the district were at their lowest since before 1998.

The total number of teenage conceptions for the year was 15, or 1.4 per cent of women in that age group.

That was significantly lower than in 2014 which saw a 2.0 per cent teen pregnancy rate, and almost half of 2013 which saw a 2.7 per cent teen pregnancy rate.

The most recent year also saw the lowest teenage abortion rate since 1999.

In 2015 46.7 per cent of teenage conceptions led to abortions. That is significantly down on the 72.4 per cent in 2013, and the lowest since 1999 which saw a 31.6 per cent abortion rate for teens.

The story in Maldon mirrors a similar decrease across the East of England which has seen a seven per cent decrease in teenage pregnancy rates since 2014, and a 50 per cent drop.

The East of England has the third lowest teenage pregnancy rate of any region in England and Wales.

Natika Halil, Chief Executive of sexual health charity, FPA, said: “We welcome the continued reduction of teenage pregnancy rates for the East of England. This reduction is thanks to the hard work of health and education professionals, and the legacy of the teenage pregnancy strategy.

“Not all teenage pregnancies are unplanned or unwanted, but young people who become parents under 18 have a higher risk of poorer health, education, economic and social outcomes.

“FPA therefore calls on the Department of Health to take responsibility for ensuring that contraception services are not cut, and to demand that the Treasury provides the necessary funds to protect this essential part of healthcare.”