COUNCILLORS are to draw up advice for teachers and governors considering giving the morning-after pill to pupils in Cheshire schools.

Decisions about the provision of emergency contraception at individual schools will rest with governors, who have the statutory responsibility for sex and relationship education policy.

But Labour county councillor David Robinson called for a report to be compiled for the next meeting of the council's education scrutiny committee.

He said: ''Teenage pregnancy is an issue for the whole community. The recent publicity concerning the emergency contraceptive pill means there needs to be a debate on what guidance should be given to schools.''

Although there are pilot schemes in other parts of the country that make emergency contraception available through schools, there are not believed to be any schools in Cheshire that have taken on that role.

During the meeting a number of councillors expressed their concerns about the possibility of the morning-after pill being distributed in the county's schools.

Labour county councillor Scott Marsh said: ''I vehemently oppose the morning-after pill being brought into schools. I cannot condone under-age sex - I cannot and I will not.''

During the debate Conservative councillor Paul Findlow said the emergency contraceptive pill in schools could be used to ''promote promiscuity, promote under-age illegal relationships and undermine the value of family life.''

The report will be available to members at the next meeting on March 14.