Teenagers have been urged not to be embarrassed if they need the morning-after pill.

A Colchester pharmacist has issued a warning to youngsters to act responsibly in a bid to cut the number of teenage pregnancies.

Simon Moul, of Day Lewis pharmacy, in Long Wyre Street, says many teens are trusting luck instead of asking pharmacists like himself for the morning-after pill.

The warning comes after figures set to be published by the Office for National Statistics in November show 786 Essex teenagers under the age of 18 conceived in 2005.

Just over half - 52 per cent - had an abortion.

Mr Moul said pharmacies are introducing private consultation rooms so girls can ask for contraception in private, and there will usually be a female pharmacist on hand to help further reduce embarrassment.

He continued: "The embarrassment factor is stopping young girls coming into pharmacies.

"You can tell by the horrendous number of girls who get themselves pregnant as teenagers, and the high number that end up getting an abortion because they are unwanted pregnancies."

Mr Moul is chairman of the Essex Local Pharmaceutical Committee, which is also planning to come up with ways to tackle the increasing number of young people contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

Dr Mike Gogarty, director of public health at North East Essex Primary Care Trust, said reducing teenage pregnancy rates is a key target across the county.

"We need to ensure wide availability of a range of contraceptive choices including the morning-after pill, especially to those areas with particularly high rates of teenage pregnancy," he added.