Nicola Bulley latest updates as police told they made 'sexist error' in detailing struggles

Lancashire Police are continuing to receive backlash for releasing a statement saying missing mum Nicola Bulley suffered with 'some significant issues with alcohol brought on by her ongoing struggles with the menopause.'

Former victims’ commissioner Dame Vera Baird believes the force made a “dreadful error” when it issed information on the missing mother-of-two’s vulnerabilities on Wednesday evening.

Dame Vera told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I’m afraid this is the biggest error that I have seen for quite a long time. It’s going to just, you know, very sadly, to undermine trust in the police yet further."

It comes after Nicola's family released a further statement through the police on Thursday which offered further details on Nicola's health struggles. They also called for an end to the “speculation and rumours” about her private life.

It read: "Due to the perimenopause Nikki suffered with significant side effects such as brain fog, restless sleep and was taking HRT to help but this was giving her intense headaches which caused Nikki to stop taking the HRT thinking that may have helped her but only ended up causing this crisis.

“The public focus has to be on finding her and not making up wild theories about her personal life."

Meanwhile, Lancashire Police have referred themselves to the police watchdog over contact the force had with missing Nicola Bulley prior to her disappearance.

Follow the latest updates on the search for the missing mum below.

Local residents in the village where Nicola Bulley disappeared have employed an external security company because of interest in the case, Wyre Council leader Michael Vincent said.

He told Sky News: “People have reported being sat in their living rooms in an afternoon