Missing mother Nicola Bulley had "some significant issues with alcohol", police have said.

Ms Bulley, 45, had “some vulnerabilities at the time she went missing” which had caused challenges for her partner Paul Ansell and their family, according to Lancashire Police.

The 45-year-old went missing on January 27 while she was on a riverside dog walk in St Michael's on Wyre.

Lancashire Police has commented to say that Ms Bulley had been considered a high-risk missing person from the start of the investigation into her disappearance.

Nicola Bulley had "vulnerabilities" when she went missing, police say

The force said it was called to a concern for welfare at her home last month.

The police said: “Sadly, it is clear from speaking to Paul and the family that Nicola had in the past suffered with some significant issues with alcohol which were brought on by her ongoing struggles with the menopause and that these struggles had resurfaced over recent months. This caused some real challenges for Paul and the family.

“As a result of those issues, a response car staffed by both police and health professionals attended a report of concern for welfare at Nicola’s home address on January 10th. No one has been arrested in relation to this incident, but it is being investigated.

“It is an unusual step for us to take to go into this level of detail about someone’s private life, but we felt it was important to clarify what we meant when we talked about vulnerabilities to avoid any further speculation or misinterpretation.

It comes after senior officers stressed that they did not believe anyone had attacked or abducted Ms Bulley.

The officers have said that they believe she had gone into the water without anyone else being involved, and to quash the “persistent myths” around the case.

“We have explained to Nicola’s family why we have released this further information and we would ask that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.”