Police watchdog contacts Lancashire Constabulary after Nicola Bulley press conference

Independent Office for Police Conduct requests information from force as it decides whether to investigate

The police watchdog has contacted Lancashire Constabulary following a press conference where the force controversially released personal information about Nicola Bulley.

Investigators have admitted that officers had responded to a “concern for welfare” at Ms Bulley’s home on 10 January - just over two weeks before her disappearance - and that the incident was still under investigation.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, they said that the mother-of-two had “suffered with some significant issues with alcohol, which were brought on by her ongoing struggles with the menopause”.

Amid outrage over the disclosure, the force defended it by saying it was to “avoid any further speculation or misinterpretation”.

A spokesperson for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC): “Following information that was made public by Lancashire Constabulary yesterday, we have made contact with the force to determine if a referral to the IOPC may be required.”

The watchdog will decide on any further action after receiving a response from Lancashire Constabulary.

The Independent understands that the contact was not in response to any particular piece of information disclosed in a lengthy press conference and written statement.

Ms Bulley has been missing since 27 January, and the case has become the subject of intense public speculation and amateur search efforts.

Nicola Bulley has not been seen since 27 January (PA Media)

She vanished after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.

She was last seen at 9.10am taking her usual route with her springer spaniel Willow, alongside the River Wyre.

Her phone, still connected to a work call for her job as a mortgage adviser, was found just over 20 minutes later on a bench overlooking the riverbank, with her dog running loose.

Police have condemned “false information, accusations and rumours” over their “unprecedented” search efforts, encompassing the river and surrounding farmland.

Yellow ribbons and messages of hope tied to a bridge over the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, near where the mother of two vanished (PA Wire)

In a statement released on Thursday, Ms Bulley’s family said that the public’s focus had moved away from finding her to “speculation and rumours into her and [partner] Paul’s private life”.

“We were aware beforehand that Lancashire Police, last night, released a statement with some personal details about our Nikki,” they added.

“Although we know that Nikki would not have wanted this, there are people out there speculating and threatening to sell stories about her. This is appalling and needs to stop.

“The police know the truth about Nikki and now the public need to focus on finding her.”