The mother of tragic Love Island host Caroline Flack has received an official apology from the Metropolitan Police over how they handled her complaints about her daughter's treatment before her suicide.

The force told Chris Flack that it was "sincerely sorry" for the way it had dealt with her concerns about her daughter's case, and said it had changed its procedures as a result.

The apology followed an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which was prompted by a complaint from Mrs Flack, who lives in Norwich.

Miss Flack - known to her family as Carrie - took her own life in her east London flat three years ago this month, on February 15, 2020.

At the time she was facing a prosecution over allegations she had assaulted her boyfriend, Lewis Burton.

The 40-year-old, who grew up in rural Norfolk and went to school in Watton, had been charged with assault by beating.

The charges had been pursued by the Met despite the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recommending Miss Flack receive only a caution.

With a court appearance looming and the case in the media spotlight, Miss Flack's mental health deteriorated and she took her own life.

Following her daughter's death, Mrs Flack launched a formal complaint against the Met, prompting the force to investigate the decision to pursue charges against the celebrity.

Her grievance largely relates to her claim that Detective Inspector Lauren Bateman decided to appeal the CPS decision without reviewing key pieces of evidence - including not discussing the case with alleged victim Mr Burton.

But after the force concluded it had done no wrong, Mrs Flack escalated her concerns to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The IOPC has now written to Mrs Flack with the results of its inquiries.

It ruled Miss Flack had not received different treatment due to her celebrity status, but it did criticise the Met for its handling of her mother's complaint.

The findings prompted Andy Carter, chief superintendent of Met Police borough commander, to write to Mrs Flack and apologise.

In his letter, he outlined a number of measures that have been brought in to improve how officers go about appealing CPS decisions.

But Mrs Flack said it was her daughter the Met should apologise to.

"They have apologised for how they handled my complaint - but what they really should be apologising for is the way Carrie was treated," she said.

"The fact new guidelines have been brought in means something was wrong.

"I believe if I had not said anything, nothing would have changed either.

"A lot of the apology letter felt copied and pasted and I feel like they have only done it because the IOPC suggested they ought to."

Cheif supt Carter's letter reads: "I am sincerely sorry for our inability to previously capture an adequate contemporaneous record of streamlined, balanced and transparent decision-making regarding the CPS appeal and statistical data."

The IOPC report states that the Met's investigation into Mrs Flack's complaint "was not reasonable and proportionate" and that the force had not supplied her with "an open explanation of the officer's decision-making".

A spokesman for the force said: "The review did not identify any misconduct but concluded that an officer should receive reflective practice.

"This was about the requirement to review all case material and record a balanced rationale when appealing a CPS decision.

"The IOPC also asked the Met to apologise to Miss Flack's family about there not being a record of the rationale to appeal the CPS decision.

"We have done so and acknowledge the impact this has had on them."