SEX education courses for young men are being introduced to reduce teenage pregnancies.

Easington Primary Care Trust is hoping to tackle the problem, which has left the district with the fourth highest teenage pregnancy rate in the North-East.

The trust has appointed Paul Richardson to head the new programme, which will focus on providing sex and relationship education for young men.

Mr Richardson's will work with 13 to 17-year-olds. He hopes to target at least 250 young men this year.

As well as the traditional topics of contraception and how to avoid sexually transmitted infections, there will be an opportunity to think about what makes a good relationship and the chance to talk about when youngsters would like to become a father and what makes a good dad.

Mr Richardson said: "I'm looking forward to the challenge of making a real difference to the health and well-being of lads in the district of Easington.

"As the saying goes, young men are half the problem and half the solution in teenage pregnancies and that is why the trust believes these courses are vital to sex education."