More teenage Britons are becoming pregnant, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The number of Briton youths under 18 who became pregnant rose to 41.9 for every 1,000 female in 2007 from 40.9 in 2006, the first hike since 2002. The worsening situation of rising teenage pregnancies in the United Kingdom is highlighted by the birth in early February of a daughter to a 15-year old girl and a 13-year old boy from Hailsham, East Sussex.

The pregnancy caused a public outcry in the U.K. The hike in teenage pregnancy rates has led the British government to target a 50 percent reduction in pregnancy rates for women under 18 by 2010. The government allocated $28.6 million (20 million pound) to address the problem, although analysts forecast the British government will miss its target.

Children and Young People's Minister Beverly Hughes called the rise in teenage pregnancy disappointing. She said, quoted by the U.K. Telegraph, "The evidence suggest that more teenagers may have been engaging in risky behavior and not using contraception, resulting in an increase in conceptions leading to abortion. Our strategy is to encourage teenagers to delay early sexual activity, and to use contraception when they do become sexually active."