Adult care boss, Cllr Brian Taylor, has highlighted the fall in the number of adult smokers and teenage pregnancies in the Blackburn with Darwen council area.

In a full council meeting last week, Mr Taylor revealed data published in July by Public Health England showed the number of adult smokers in Blackburn with Darwen had dropped to by 10.4 percent since 2011, to just 16.7 percent, which puts the borough on a par with the current North West average of 16.1 percent.

The drop in numbers can be attributed in part to work done by local authorities in delivering smokefree initiatives, and the continued support for national campaigns such as Stoptober and No Smoking Day.

Mr Taylor also reported on the significant fall of teenage pregnancies across the region, with 59 under-18 conceptions recorded in 2016, compared to 169 in 1998.

This recent figure is below the average for teenage pregnancies in England, and Mr Taylor said it is very good news for young people in the borough as it reflects the success of strategy and services provided for children and young people.

He said: "This has been achieved by establishing a preventative approach to issues across the council, education system, voluntary and community sector, NHS and young people themselves."