More than 140 girls aged 14 and under gave birth last year in England, it emerged today.

New NHS figures have revealed the spread of age groups among women giving birth in English hospitals in 2014/15.

The number of births to girls aged 14 and under rose slightly to 143 from 133 the previous year, but there were fewer to women aged 50 and over - 94 in total.

Experts said unplanned pregnancies happened to women aged 50 and over who presume they are no longer fertile, although older women are also turning to donor eggs and IVF.

In total, there were 636,600 deliveries in England for the year ending March 2015 - a 1.6 per cent drop from last year. Mothers aged 30 to 34 gave birth to more babies than any other age group

Among those aged 50 and over, there were 94 births in 2014/15, down slightly on the 107 the previous year and the 114 in 2012/13.

Overall, women in their 30s accounted for 47 per cent of all deliveries and this is the only age group with increasing numbers of births.

Most births were to women in the 30 to 34 age group, with 194,086 deliveries.

Among women aged 35-39, there were 102,711 deliveries, with almost 1,400 in the over 45 bracket - suggesting many mothers were delaying parenthood to concentrate on careers.

A spokeswoman for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) said: 'The overall average age of motherhood is increasing as women wait longer to begin their families, and complete them later.

'Maternity services need be organised to ensure they can cater for the slightly different needs of older women, who may be more likely to deliver by Caesarean section.

'A small number of women in their 50s gave birth last year. Accidental pregnancies have long occurred among women of this age, who may well believe they are no longer fertile, but they may also be the result of assisted conception.

'Whatever the age a woman decides to have a baby, her choices should be supported, and she should have access to the best possible maternity care and postnatal support.'

Today's figures, from the Health and Social Care Information Centre, also reveal:

* Overall, the number of deliveries across England has fallen and is now the lowest recorded since 2006/07.

* London has the highest rate of all deliveries to mothers in their 40s.

* The largest decrease in deliveries from 2013/14 was among mothers aged under 20 - down 11.5 per cent to 23,400.

* But the number of women having babies in their 30s is rising and there are still high numbers in their 40s having babies.

* There were 23,194 births to women aged 40 to 44 and 1,298 births to women aged 45 to 49 in 2014/15.

* Teenagers aged 15-19 gave birth to 23,262 children.

Overall, the data, from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), shows the spread of age groups among women giving birth in English hospitals in for the year ending March 2015

Natika H Halil, chief executive of the Family Planning Association (FPA), said: 'Figures from the Office for National Statistics released last year showed the number of women over 40 having a baby has risen fourfold in the past three decades.

'With that in mind it is important for women who are not planning to have children, or have completed their family, to continue to use contraception until menopause.

'When we see stories in the media about women struggling to conceive as they get older, it is easy to assume that as you get into your late 30s, 40s and beyond you might not need to use contraception any more.'

The report also revealed the numbers of babies being delivered by C-section has increased again.

Some 26.5 per cent of all deliveries in NHS hospitals were by Caesarean section (up 0.3 per cent in a year), rising to 36 per cent among women aged 35 and over.

On the other hand, just 18 per cent of women aged under 25 needed a C-section.

Most Caesareans across all age groups were to mothers in Essex (28.8 per cent) and London (28.7 per cent).

Earlier this month, a report warned the pressure of juggling a career and family life was putting many women in their 30s off trying to conceive

The new figures come just two weeks after data from the Office for National Statistics revealed women in their mid-40s today are almost twice as likely to be childless as their parents' generation.

The statistics looked at how many children women have had by the age of 46 - when their childbearing days are considered over.

And they revealed one in five women who were born in 1969 are childless today - compared to one in nine women born in 1942.

The overall average age of motherhood is increasing as women wait longer to begin their families, and complete them later' Spokeswoman for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas)

Meanwhile two children remains the most common family size for middle-aged women today and the previous generation, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics.

However whereas one in 10 women born in 1969 had four or more children, compared with around one in six women born in 1942.

The decline of marriage, a rise in career-minded women and greater social acceptance for child-free mothers are some of the possible reasons less than half of today's 30-year-old's have become others to date.

The average family size has also decreased to less than two children while the previous generation usually had around 2.3 per household.

And earlier this month a report warned thousands of women are delaying having children for fear of not being the perfect mother.

Almost three-quarters of those surveyed by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service said the pressure of juggling a career and family life was putting them off trying to conceive.

Some worried about being labelled as a 'part-time' mother if they worked, or said they feared it would be 'impossible' to meet the expectations of their in-laws, friends and colleagues.

The report by the also found that one of the main reasons for women putting off starting a family was the struggle to find Mr Right.