THE number of teenage pregnancies has leapt up in Southampton, bucking the national trend.

Almost 100 under-18s in the city got pregnant between 2015 and 2016 - while figures fell across England.

According to the latest data revealed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 99 under-18s conceptions in Southampton between March 2015 and March 2016- nine more than the same period the previous year.

The recent figures show that the city is one of those in the country where the teenage pregnancy rates have gone up.

It comes just months after figures showed that the amount of teen pregnancies in the Southampton have plummeted in the last 17 years.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo, figures showed teenage pregnancies have reduced by 9 per cent since 2014 and by 55 per cent since 1998 - when there were 216 in Southampton.

Cllr David Shields, cabinet member for health and sustainable living at Southampton City Council, said: “While 9 additional pregnancies in the year 2015-16 does indicate a slight increase on previous years, we cannot be sure that this marks a definite trend.

“Whilst teenage pregnancy rates haven’t changed much in the last year, they have fallen dramatically by over 60 per cent since we started work to reduce them back in 1998 as part of the national programme.”

Since 2013 the city council has commissioned a number of projects and services in Southampton to reduce teenage conceptions and improve sex education.

It has also been working with local authorities such as Solent NHS Trust to provide sexual health services and school nursing.

Cllr Shields said that a comprehensive sex and relationship education and easy access to contraceptive services are the two most important actions needed.

He said: “We are pleased to see that the new, lower levels of teenage conceptions have become the norm for the City’s young people though we are not complacent and appreciate that we need to continue to work hard to reduce it further as we are well aware that our rates in Southampton remain higher than for England as a whole.”

Sexual health charity FPA, has now called on all political parties to commit to reduce the UK’s teenage pregnancy rate, as it remains one of the highest in Western Europe.

Natika H Halil, FPA chief executive, said: “We are calling on all political parties to support investment now, to make sure we build on the incredible work done so far, and don’t instead see teenage pregnancy rates slip even further away from other European countries.”