THE region has experienced a large increase in the number of people diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases.

The 9.7 per cent rise from 21,202 in 2003 to 23,251 suggests many people are ignoring safe sex advice.

The increase in diagnoses dwarfs the national increase of only two per cent.

The biggest increase in the North-East is in chlamydia cases, which affects one in ten women and one in seven men aged 16 to 24 and is now the country's most common curable sexual disease.

Last year, there were 4,424 cases of chlamydia in the North-East, an increase of 1,009 over the previous year.

While health officials are concerned at the 29 per cent rise in chlamydia cases, they believe the majority of diagnoses were related to the increased availability of testing, following the introduction of a screening programme.

Launched earlier this year in County Durham, the scheme aims to encourage under-25s to use a self-test kit or visit a sexual health clinic for a check-up.

Other noticeable trends in the North-East figures included a marked increase in diagnoses of syphilis.

Although the numbers are relatively small, the region experienced a rise in syphilis cases of 37 per cent, from 67 to 92.

There was also a 12.8 per cent increase in genital warts, from 3,401 to 3,838.

However, cases of gonorrhoea fell in the region from 666 in 2003 to 597 last year, a ten per cent fall. Other good news is that the rates of infections diagnosed in genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in the North-East remain below the national average.

GUM clinics in Yorkshire and Humberside had a 1.3 per cent rise in sexually transmitted disease cases.

The figures showed a rise from 56,055 in 2003 to 56,796 last year.

The largest rise was in cases of chlamydia, which increased by 8.6 per cent from 10,406 in 2003 to 11,303.

The largest percentage increase was in cases of syphilis, which went up by 36.7 per cent from 60 in 2003 to 82.

In the North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire area, there was a 1.8 per cent fall in the number of sexual disease diagnoses, from 12,517 to 12,295.

Dr Vivien Hollyoak, director of the Health Protection Agency in the North-East, said: "Although the number of new diagnoses in GUM clinics continues to rise in the North-East, the rate of infection diagnosed among the local population remains below the national rate, affecting 916 per 100,000 people regionally, compared to 1,262 per 100,000 nationally."

She said the figures highlighted "how vital it is for people to take responsibility for their own, and their partners' sexual health, and to use a condom with new or casual partners".

She urged people who might have contracted a disease or who has symptoms to go to a clinic at the earliest opportunity.