Babies born to teenage mums are 60 per cent more likely to die than babies born to older mothers, and daughters of teen mums are much more likely to be teen mums themselves.

And yet Peterborough is a hotspot for teenage pregnancies, with more and more girls falling pregnant each year. In 2000 147 girls fell pregnant, and the numbers inch up little by little each year. In 2006, 190 teenage girls conceived.

And a shocking one in every five teenage pregnancies is a second pregnancy, meaning that there are a dozen or so girls who have two kids before they're 19.

In fact, our city has been given a 'red rating' by the Government over its number of teenage pregnancies.

"Why teenage girls become teenage mums is a very complex issue," said Kay Elmy, head of the city's contraception and sexual health service (CASH).

"There are a number of risk factors, not doing very well at school, living in a deprived area – Peterborough has some of the most deprived wards in the country – having sex before the age of 16, parents having low aspirations for their children.

"It really isn't a simple issue at all.

"And some girls grow up in a family that expects them to have children young.

"Some girls see having a baby at a young age as what they are going to do with their lives.

"We are working with teenagers to try and cut the number of teenage pregnancies, but it's not as simple as just giving out free condoms.

"In a lot of cases we have to build relationships with girls, and show them that there is an alternative way of living – they don't have to get pregnant as a teenager, they can achieve things and build a career and get settled before starting a family.

"We can't just take their aspirations to have a baby as a teenager away from them and leave them with no plan and nothing to aim for."

The Primary Care Trust currently runs a series of HYPA clinics (Health and Young People's Advice Centres) in certain areas of the city which are teen pregnancy 'hotspots'.

Those areas are Dogsthorpe, Orton, and Werrington (although Werrington isn't a hotspot, but wanted the service anyway.) HYPA clinics also run in Thomas Deacon Academy and The Voyager School.

"HYPA are where young people can come and get information about all aspects of their health," said Kay. "We are there, as are Drinksense, Peterborough Drug Services and youth workers.

"As well as giving advice about safe sex, we do a lot of work as far as delaying sexual activity is concerned. We work with girls aged 11 upwards, talking to them about what sort of life they can expect if they have a baby at an early age, and how they don't have to have sex while they are young.

"A lot of young women don't know how easy it is to get pregnant, and the role that drinking can play in having risky, unprotected sex.

"We also contribute to education programmes in secondary schools.