BOURNEMOUTH is making good progress in reducing its rate of teenage pregnancies - once one of the highest in the region.

In eight years, the number of teenage pregnancies has fallen by a third and the council is hopeful it will meet its ambitious target of a 50 per cent reduction by 2010.

In 1998, the town's under-18 conception rate was 51.6 per cent per 1,000 teenage girls aged between 15 and 17.

This was well above the national average of 46.6 per cent and was the third highest figure in the entire south-west region.

But new statistics for 2006 show that Bournemouth's rate is now 34.1 per cent - the second highest decrease in the south-west and the sixth highest in the whole country.

There is similar good news in Poole, where the teenage pregnancy rate has dropped by 23.9 per cent and Dorset, where it has fallen by 22.7 per cent.

Tim Fewell, head of youth services at Bournemouth council, said the drop was an endorsement of the council's wide-ranging teenage pregnancy strategy.

"We've got such a range of initiatives across the board that we manage to reach more people," he said.

"We work through social services, through schools, youth services, carers, community outlets. We target those who might have chaotic lifestyles.

"I think Bournemouth's high rate in 1998 startled a few people.

"It helped us gel together and do something about it.

"We've got another 16 per cent to go over the next two years and if we can maintain the current rate, our projections are that we are going to be there or thereabouts."