Condoms have caught up with the Pill as the most popular contraceptive with women in a sign that the safe-sex message may be getting through.

New data from the Office for National Statistics show that condoms are the first choice of contraceptive for one in four women, the same proportion that favours the Pill.

The same annual survey of more than 2,500 people found that 34 per cent of sexually active men who were not in a steady relationship said they had increased their use of condoms in the past year.

Experts said various Pill scares have made the oral contraceptive less appealing over the years for women, while warnings over rising incidences of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and even syphilis may be having an impact.

When the survey began eight years ago they were the choice of only one fifth of women.

Women have also been assiduously wooed by condom manufacturers in recent years. Several brands target women, with attractive wrappers or packaging that fits into purses.

Durex had a 10 per cent rise in sales last year, with its Play range, which includes lubricants and vibrators, showing a 27 per cent growth in sales.

The condom market is also unlikely to face any challenge from rival barrier methods of contraception in the near future.

The female condom has had few sales and a new “spray-on” condom of liquid latex is unlikely to prove popular unless the “drying time” of two to three minutes can be reduced.

However, campaigners said the data showed a disappointingly low uptake of new long-acting contraceptives, such as implants and injections. Natika Halil, the director of information at the Family Planning Association, said: “There are 15 methods of contraception available. Women should be able to access all of them in equal measure.”

The FPA fears that because implants and injections are more expensive and require doctors to have training on their use, too many GPs are omitting to mention them to patients.

The figures showed that condom use is worryingly low among groups judged to be at risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Fewer than half of those who had more than two sexual partners a year used condoms regularly while one fifth of this group never used them. Health authorities are alarmed at the sudden increase in STIs, with condoms widely seen as the only solution.

Chlamydia increased by 150 per cent between 1998 and 2007. During the same time period cases of herpes increased by 51 per cent and gonorrhoea by 42 per cent. Even more worryingly, syphilis cases also increased.

The data found that 90 per cent of those who used condoms said that protection against pregnancy was the priority while 45 per cent said that they used them to avoid STIs.

The figures found that government leaflets were seen as a source of information by only 16 per cent of users. Television advertising was their primary source of information about STIs and condom Condoms are to be marketed even more aggressively in future after changes to the advertising code.

The Committee of Advertising Practice and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice, who are finalising proposals, want to relax the rules so condom ads can be screened at any time, and not just after the current 9pm watershed, although they will not be broadcast around programmes aimed at children under 10.

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