TEENAGE pregnancy in Worcestershire is down by almost 50 percent, according to latest figures.

The Office for National Statistics released the data which shows that between 1998 and 2014 the number of girls aged 15 to 17 years old falling pregnant in the county was down from 340 to 197.

This puts Worcestershire below the national average for England, however, the city of Worcester still sees more cases of teenage pregnancy than any other part of the country.

The biggest fall across the county was seen more recently, with 197 pregnancies in this age group in 2014 compared to 250 the year before.

In Worcester teenage pregnancies has fallen from 81 to 45 within the same time frame- Redditch, also among the country's highest in terms of teenage pregnancies, has fallen from 71 in 1998 to 49 in 2014.

Dr Bill Spice, Sexual Health Consultant for Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, says the figures are pleasing but there is still more to be done.

He said: "We are really pleased to see a general decline across Worcestershire in the numbers of teenage girls falling pregnant.

"Traditionally the picture is slightly different in Worcester and Redditch than the rest of the county but progress is being made here too with figures either falling slightly or remaining roughly the same.

"We have put a lot of effort into promoting sex education within schools and colleges and to ensuring young people are more aware of risks associated with unprotected sex.

"There is always more to do and we want to see this county-wide trend continue over the next few years."