TEENAGE pregnancy levels in the Tees Valley are being tackled successfully with a series of innovative programmes.

Figures show Redcar and Cleveland Council now has the lowest number of young mothers in the Tees Valley.

Successful programmes, including training for teachers on sex education in primary, special and secondary schools and specially-designed programmes for primary and secondary school pupils, have helped the reduction.

In Redcar and Cleveland there were 48 under-18 pregnancies for every 1,000 girls aged 15 to 17 in the period 2004 to now.

This was a 17.5 per cent drop on the 1998 figures.

In comparison, the number of teenage mothers in Middlesbrough stands at 58 (down 13 per cent), Hartlepool 68 (down nine per cent) and Darlington stands at 49 - a 23 per cent decrease.

But statistics for Stockton show a slight increase, with 51 teenage pregnancies, a six per cent rise.

Councillor Valerie Halton, cabinet member for social services and health at Redcar and Cleveland Council, said: "Of course, these figures still need to be improved.

"But we are carrying out a great deal of very good work to help tackle the issue, through all school ages, from primary to secondary."

A programme has been introduced across the area to train professionals working with vulnerable young people about pregnancy awareness.

The teaching programme is based on two characters, Lucinda and Godfrey, and gives children knowledge about changing from a child into a young adult.

There is also group support for pregnant teenagers and young parents, with two monthly sessions in Loftus and Redcar as well as weekly sexual health drop-in sessions at Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough, and Redcar and Cleveland College.

A condom distribution scheme is running in youth centres and colleges and a special directory of services for young people in the borough, developed in partnership with young people, will be distributed to colleges, schools and the youth service over the next few months