EXPERTS in Dorset have attacked claims that a "teenage time bomb" is being created because of the government's alleged neglect of young people's health.

Data compiled by the Conservative Party says soaring numbers of youngsters nationally are being admitted to hospital for alcohol and smoking-related problems.

The party also says there has been a sharp increase in the levels of sexually transmitted infections and abortions, while nearly a third of children start their teenage years overweight or obese.

But a spokesperson for Bournemouth and Poole Primary Care Trust said: "It is ridiculous to suggest that young people's health is being neglected.

"All the partners in the Bournemouth and Poole health and care community are working hard to improve the health of all local people, but especially to give children and young people the healthiest start to life.

"That is why we are investing locally to ensure there are easily-accessible services that properly tackle the big health issues such as obesity, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, and positive sexual health. And we are making real progress - in Bournemouth the rate of teenage conceptions has dropped by 34 per cent since 1998, which is one of the biggest drops in the country."

The trust is also carrying out an in-depth review of current drug and alcohol services for children and young people to make sure they receive support.

Dr Ruth Howlett-Shipley, deputy director of public health for Dorset Primary Care Trust, said that although the figures quoted by the Tories were correct, they did not reflect all the hard work going on locally to improve young people's health.

"Young people are a key focus of all our health promotion work, but you don't bring in an initiative one month and see a result the next. These problems have happened over many years," she said.

She pointed out that improved access to sexual health clinics for young people and the national chlamydia screening programme were leading to more infections being diagnosed. Dorset PCT was also rewriting its alcohol strategy, improving access to drug services and continuing its work to reduce teenage conceptions and childhood obesity.