A YOUTH drama group is tackling teenage pregnancy with the launch of a theatre production.

Students at King James I Community College, in Bishop Auckland, were shocked to discover they lived in one of the worst areas for teenage pregnancies.

With the help of a £6,000 grant from the European Union, the King James Teen Pregnancy Group has carried out a thorough investigation into the highly-emotive issues involved.

Drama development officer Stephen Elliott said: "Wear Valley has the highest pregnancy rate in County Durham and County Durham has the highest in Britain and is one of the worst in Europe.

"It has been quite an eye- opener for the group - something of a learning curve."

Some of the research carried out included talking to a teenage mother, looking at the ways other countries tackle the issue and a trip to Ireland to carry out photographic work for the launch.

Now that the project is complete it is hoped it will be used to help teach sex education in schools and help drive home the reality of teenage pregnancy and sexually-transmitted infections.

It has already been praised as one of the best examples of an effective approach to the issues after it was performed in front of 19 youth workers from 17 different countries.

The group of nine, Steven Brownson, Mark Ross, Daniel Wales, Matthew Saunders, Lindsay Coglan, Laura Lee, Charlotte Hornsby, Iysha Sutherland and James Millward, have also been asked to take the drama to Austria.

About 30 or 40 different professionals from the health service and other organisations will attend the launch, at the college, on Friday at 7pm.

As well as a play there will be an exhibition of photography work and some schools have already invited the group to perform in front of their peers.

It is not the first time King James I Community College has confronted serious social issues through drama.

In the past, it has looked at bullying, domestic violence, drugs, bogus callers and anti-social behaviour