NORTH Durham has the highest rate of teenage mothers in the UK, according to a new study.

The report shows that the deprived district of Derwentside has more gymslip mums than anywhere else in Britain. The neighbouring districts of Wear Valley and Easington are also in the top 12 for teenage mothers.

The study, carried out by the York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation, examines all 374 local authority areas in the UK. It gives them a ranking based on the number of pregnant teens who choose abortion rather than have their babies.

Derwentside has the lowest rate of abortion in girls aged 15-17, at 18 per cent, compared to the national average of 44 per cent.

Malcolm Pitt, programme manager for SureStart Stanley, which helps young parents get back into education and employment, said: "In many ways, this is a positive statement about Derwentside.

"It shows people feel they have got the support networks around them to be able to have a baby, whether that is through close family ties or support services such as Sure Start."

Dr Tricia Cresswell, chairman of County Durham and Darlington's NHS Improving Access to Termination and Pregnancy Services group, said: "The most important thing is prevention of teenage conceptions.

"This requires a two-pronged approach - raising the aspirations and life chances of young people and making sure they have access to appropriate sexual health services."

Easington is fifth from bottom in the table and Wear Valley twelfth from bottom. Two areas in the region are in the top 100 where there are both low rates of teenage pregnancy and a higher proportion of terminations. Teesdale ranks 18th, and Harrogate 86th.

In the Eden district of Cumbria three out of four pregnant teens opted to abort. The study states that abortion rates among girls who become pregnant tend to be lower in socially-disadvantaged areas - even though these areas also have the highest rates of conception among the under 18s.

Termination rates are higher in areas where there is more extensive family planning provision, where there are higher percentages of women GPs and where there is easier access to independent abortion services.

The report, by researchers from the Centre for Sexual Health Research at the University of Southampton, also states that teens who saw their lives as insecure were more likely to accept motherhood as a positive change in their lives.

Those who saw their lives developing through education and employment were more likely to opt for an abortion.

It found that family and community views were an important influence on teenagers and motherhood at an early age was treated as more acceptable in certain neighbourhoods.