Hundreds of underage girls used sexual health services to access contraception in Bristol last year.
Girls in Bristol were among the most likely in England to access emergency contraception at a rate of 14 for every 1,000 13-15 year old girls.
New NHS statistics show that 350 girls under the age of 16 in the city accessed sexual and reproductive health services for contraception last year.
That includes five per cent of 13-15 year olds in the city according to NHS data.
In the rest of South Gloucestershire the figure was three per cent while in North Somerset it was only two per cent.
Types of contraception accessed at NHS services include the pill, male condoms, implants, IUS and the coil.
Women under the age of 16 were provided with emergency contraceptives - which include the morning after pill and the coil - on 105 occasions last year across Bristol.
That compares to 85 in 2017/18.
Across England, the statistics show that 13-15 year olds in more deprived neighborhoods are four times more likely to use sexual and reproductive health services for emergency contraception.
Some eight in every 1,000 females used the services in the most deprived neighborhoods, compared to two in every 1,000 in the least deprived.
St Helen’s (41 for every 1,000 girls), Blackpool, Wirral (30), and Oldham (27) saw the highest rates of underage girls using the pill.
In total, 19,445 girls under the age of 16 used sexual and reproductive health services to access contraception last year
Under 16 year olds were provided with emergency contraception 4,695 times - down from 5,075 in 2017/18.
For the latest news in and around Bristol, check back on Bristol Live's homepage .
