Teenage pregnancy increased by more than 40 per cent in Barnet between 1998 and 2004 - the highest rise in the country.

Statistics released on Monday by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) show that 3.5 per cent of teenagers aged 15 to 17 conceived in the borough in 2004, compared to 2.4 per cent in 1998.

Despite Barnet Council's current target to reduce teenage pregnancies this year by 19 per cent, they have soared by 42.7 per cent.

This means that one in 41 girls in Barnet got pregnant in 1998 in comparison to one in 28 now.

Councillor Chris Harris, cabinet member for childrens' services at the council, has attributed the rise to two factors - the large religious community such as Orthodox Jews who tend to have babies at a young age, and the changing population in the borough which brings with it more inner-city type issues such as increased poverty and deprivation.

He said: "Our strategy tries to work with vulnerable young people in the area - especially in deprived areas where youngsters have less support, both financially and in their home and school lives.

"It's only in the past couple of years that we've seen such a steep increase and that is of course very worrying, but something we're working hard to bring down."

Dr Andrew Burnett, director of health improvement at Barnet Primary Care Trust, said: "We're clearly going in the wrong direction and this is a problem we're taking very seriously.

"It's a big rise, but it from a low number.

"This is an issue we're currently trying to tackle along with the council with our teenage pregnancy strategy - part of the council's children and young person's plan.

"We are also working in schools and have a number of centres across the borough designed specifically to target sexual health issues including contraception and what to do if someone gets pregnant."

He added: "Teenage pregnancy is often correlated to poor educational achievement. School nurses and health visitors work with young people to help them feel better about themselves and improve their self-worth."

Across the borough, there are a number of council-run centres such as The Finchley Young People's Centre, which provide sexual health advice to teenagers, running workshops and giving out free contraceptives.

Stieve De Lance, who stood as a Lib Dem candidate in May's council elections, had a baby at 17. Ms De Lance, who lives in Mill Hill and is now 34, believes that offering sex education and advice is not enough to bring the rates down.

She said: "It's got to be about more than that.

"It should be about family education, wellbeing, self-esteem - all the factors that contribute towards life in general as it's not only about sex. It's about what leads to these children having unprotected sex at such a young age.

"These pregnant mothers aren't from rich parts of Totteridge - they're from low socio-economic areas with little money, family support and a fragmented school life. They think that having someone to love will make it all go away.

"It doesn't and these teenagers need to be told that from people who've been there and know.

"I raised an autistic baby at 17 years old with no family to support me."