Bolton’s teenage pregnancy crisis is worse than at first thought.

Shock figures obtained by The Bolton News show the borough is only one of a handful authorities to have seen an increase in the numbers of under-18s becoming pregnant between 1998 and 2008.

The latest figures publicly available reveal that 50.8 per 1,000 fell pregnant, while the rate nationwide is 40.4 per 1,000.

But figures procured by The Bolton News show that Bolton had a 1.1 per cent increase in the numbers of teenagers conceiving between 1998 and 2008, while the majority of authorities have reported a drop — some of more than 20 per cent.

This was despite money and resources being invested into tackling teenage pregnancies in the town.

Debra Malone, NHS Bolton public health consultant, said: “Despite our best efforts we have not seen the sustained and consistent downward trend in teenage pregnancies that we would have liked to see.

“We’ll continue to look at what other areas are doing, learn from good practice and refresh our strategy if necessary to ensure we focus our efforts on the most effective interventions.”

The health service stressed that in previous years it had seen occasions when Bolton’s rate had fallen while the overall national rate rose.

Officers also pointed to the fact that in the baseline year for the teenage pregnancy target of 1998, Bolton’s teenage conception rate was relatively low in comparison to the trend at that time. But they stress work is being done to reduce the numbers of teenage pregnancy.

Ms Malone added: “However, it’s not something the NHS can achieve on its own.

“We need parents to talk openly with their children about relationships and sex, and schools to provide the information young people need to make the right decisions through good quality sex and relationships education, while we work on ensuring young people who are sexually active can easily access effective health advice and contraception.”

schaudhari@theboltonnews.co.uk