HEALTH and social care agencies are being urged to work together to cut the high number of suicides in a town.

Darlington has one of the worst rates in the region, with an average of 18 people a year taking their lives compared with the national figure of ten per 100,000 people.

A report on suicides identified high-risk groups and suicide spots, and has come up with recommendations.

The audit was commissioned by the Suicide Prevention Task Force and looked at deaths in Darlington over three years.

Project manager Neil Johnson examined 53 suicides involving people aged 18 to 82.

About three quarters of the deaths involved men, with peaks in May and December and a low in September.

The report identified two places in the town -the River Tees at Broken Scar and Merrybent Bridge -where four people had killed themselves.

One in eight of those who killed themselves had been the victim or perpetrator of abuse.

The Government wants to see a 20 per cent reduction in suicides by 2010, and Darlington Primary Care Trust (PCT) last year drew up a plan to meet that target.

The report urged further action, including greater liaison between groups.

A PCT spokeswoman said: "One of the findings is that it is mainly men, who are notoriously difficult to reach.

"But what was surprising was that most were in employment, which is different from the national picture and tells us we need to target the workplace."

A conference on the issue will take place in the town in October.