A PREGNANT mother-of-two who has gone missing from her Essex home is thought to be in Hampshire.

Police said concern was growing for Louisa Vowles, who is known to be depressed and on medication.

Louisa, 26, has not been seen since about 4pm on Friday. It was then she left her home in Chignall Smealy, near Chelmsford, Essex, with her sons Zach, seven, and Logan, six.

Police said Ms Vowles was now thought to be in Hampshire or Dorset, having travelled to the Southampton area in a white Citroen ZX with the registration number K162 WGS.

Officers are extremely concerned for her welfare and that of her children, and say they need to be found urgently.

Police search teams are in the hunt for the missing family.

The Hampshire police spotter plane was also involved in the weekend search.

Mobile patrols have been concentrating on the Southampton area, while the aircraft has been used over the New Forest.

A police spokesman said: "We are doing everything we can to assist Essex police in finding this young woman and her sons, and deploying all available resources. We hope to find her as soon as possible and urge everyone to look out for a white Citroen car and to report any possible sightings to the police as soon as possible."

Ms Vowles is described as being 5ft 5in, very slim with shoulder-length, bleached blonde hair.

Her sons, one slim and one chubby, were both wearing school uniform of grey trousers and blue jumpers when they disappeared.