Barnet has the second lowest number of teenage pregnancies in London, new figures have revealed.

Statistics released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show there were 14 teenage pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged under 18 in 2012. 

This represents a 39 per cent fall in the teenage conception rate across Barnet from 1998 to 2012.

Councillor Helena Hart, cabinet member for public health, said:  “Naturally, I’m delighted at these figures but we must never be complacent.

“As with all our other public health programmes, we simply have to keep up our joint public health support and our sex and relationship education programmes because these have patently contributed to getting the rates down and keeping them low.”

Harrow, which shares its public health services with Barnet, had the lowest teenage pregnancy at 13 pregnancies per 1,000.

Dr Andrew Howe, Barnet and Harrow’s director of public health, said: “I welcome these figures which show the importance of our comprehensive sex and relationship education both in and out of school to avoid unwanted pregnancies in the first place.

"They also show the need for good access for young people to sexual health services, especially contraceptive services across the borough. However we realise that nationally we still have a long way to go towards improving these figures.”