THE number of teenage pregnancies in Swindon continue to tumble, according to new figures released this week, with a near identical rate to the national average.

The town picked up a reputation as the teenage pregnancy capital of the UK at the start of the century, with rates as high as 59.3 in every 1,000 15- to 17-year-old girls in 2001.

Swindon Borough Council prioritised bringing that number down and has now stabilised the decline and matched the fall in the national average from 2012 to 2013.

The conception rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 17 is now at 24.4, with the England average at 24.3. The Swindon rate dropped 3.4 in the previous 12 months.

Apart from minor blips in 2011, 2009 and 2006, the rate has steadily fallen in Swindon since 2004, and remained well-below the national average until 2011.

Cherry Jones, director of public health at the council, said: “This is a big success story.

“The progress has been achieved in various ways, involving close partnership working with schools, colleges and Swindon’s Sexual Health Services.

“There is a proactive educational approach which includes raising awareness in a very practical way of the implications of having a baby.

“Alongside this, we support young people to be confident talking about sex and relationships, wait until they are ready, and encourage them to practice safer sex to prevent unplanned pregnancy.

“We promote the use of long-acting, reversible contraception, such as implants and contraceptive injections, to give women better control of their fertility.”

Coun Fionuala Foley (Con, Chiseldon & Lawn), cabinet member for children’s services, said: “It is all about working together, getting the right education in schools and giving GP practices the right literature.

“We need to say thank you to our schools and GP practices for working together with an integrated approach.

“This will never stop being a priority because, for me, this is also about alcohol and drugs.”

To view the figures visit www.ons.gov.uk.