Posters highlighting Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust's Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Service provoked a mixed response from members of the public.

The posters feature images of a tube of lipstick or a high-heeled stiletto shoe coupled with the slogan 'would you swap this...' 'for this...' followed by a photo of a toddler's dummy.

Walsall health chiefs say the posters were deliberately designed to attract attention, but so far public and professional opinion has been mixed.

The campaign has been promoted on 45 West Midlands bus services across the borough with a view to highlighting sexual health wellfare provisions available to young people throughout the borough.

The posters detail the contraception and screening clinics that can be accessed for support and advice on a range of issues.

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Service has organised the focus which features posters on 45 buses covering the Walsall area.

One Walsall mother, who had her first child at the age of 16 but did not wish to be named, said: "The posters are certainly quite hard-hitting in a way but they do get the message home.

"When I was a teenager we never really saw this kind of thing being promoted, but it does open your eyes to a lot of things that one may not have been fully aware of as a youngster. I think it's a very valuable message to put out there and they certainly grabbed my attention.

"It's reassuring to know that people care and that help is out there for everyone who needs it."

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust's Operational Lead for Teenage Pregnancy said: "The town has previously had high rates of teenage pregnancy. However, we have more than halved numbers since the strategy first began in 1998.

“Campaigns like this help to raise awareness of the support services that are available and how to access them. They’re also important to let young people know that they can ask us anything they want to about sexual health.

"For example, what to do if they think they may have an STI, which methods of contraception may be best suited to them and where to find emergency contraception.

“We want young people to enjoy their summer but to do so safely, so that they don’t end up taking risks that can last a lifetime.”

Under 25s who want to talk to someone about sexual health, puberty, relationships, how to access services or being pressured into doing something they’re not comfortable with can also text a special confidential service for information.

The council's TEXT OKAY service can be reached by texting the word OKAY to 64446. No personal information or names are required and people just need to answer yes or no to a series of questions.

More information on the campaign can be found on the Walsall Integrated Sexual Health website www.walsallsexualhealth.co.uk