MIGRATION from the North-East has contributed to a sharp drop in birth rates in the Tees Valley, according to a report.

Figures presented by the Tees Valley Joint Strategy Unit yesterday make worrying reading for schools.

A drop in the size of families means that in the next 15 years the number of young people aged up to 15 will fall by 25,000 to 115,000.

Over the next ten years, this will mean that 8,000 fewer pupils will be attending Tees Valley primary schools and about 7,000 fewer will be going to secondary schools.

Two main factors are responsible for the falling birth rate - a decline in the number of young adults living in the area and a tendency for families to have fewer children.

John Lowther, chief executive of the Joint Strategy Unit, said: "There are now 12 per cent fewer women in the 15 to 44 age group in Tees Valley compared with 20 years ago. This can be attributed to the sub-region's substantial migration losses throughout this period.

"If the birth rate had followed national trends since 1981, there would have been about 18,000 more births and the sub-region's population would have been closer to 670,000, rather than just over 650,000 at the moment."