PREGNANCIES among teenage girls in Hampshire have almost halved in a decade, it can be revealed.

Figures show a significant drop in the number of conceptions among under 18s in the county.

It mirrors a national trend revealing the lowest number of teenagers falling pregnant since records began in 1969.

Better sex education and awareness are among the causes as well as young people spending more time on the internet.

Figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) reveals that 465 Hampshire girls aged under 18 conceived in 2013, compared to 715 in 2003.

In Southampton 129 girls became pregnant, nearly half of the number of 212 a decade ago.

Overall the under 18 conception rate for 2013 is the lowest since 1969 with 24.5 conceptions per thousand women.

Estimated number of conceptions to women in that age group also fell 13 per cent within a year with 24,306 falling pregnant compared to 27,834 in 2012.

Overall Brits are having less babies with just under a million 872,849 conceptions in 2013, down 12,000 since 2012 when 884,748 babies were conceived.

But the number of older women having babies is still on the increase.

In the 35-39 age group there were 64.5 conceptions per 1,000 women in 2013, nearly twice as many as the 33.6 in 1990.

The estimated number of conceptions to women aged under 16 fell by 16 per cent with 4,648 conceived in 2013, compared with 5,432 in 2012.

Public Health Minister Jane Ellison said: ''Teenage pregnancy is down by nearly 30% since 2010 - the lowest since records began, and has almost halved since 1998.

''However, we need to keep up the momentum and make sure young people are adopting positive, healthy lifestyles early on.''