AN Avon and Somerset Police officer who made a sick joke about Madeleine McCann's parents has been allowed to keep her job.

But following her Facebook post in March, neighbourhood beat manager PC Paula Manos is being "encouraged to reflect and learn".

In her post earlier this year, she wrote: "I need a holiday so much, I’d be willing to go away with the McCanns at this point."

After the matter was reported, the force's Professional Standards Department investigate, but decided that her comment did not meet "the threshold of misconduct".

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: "However, it does fall short of standards of behaviour expected by the public and police and will be dealt with under the 'practice requires improvement' process.

"The officer is expected to engage with a review process in which they are encouraged to reflect and learn from the issue. This will be reviewed as part of their annual assessment."

Madeleine McCann, aged three, vanished from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz while on holiday with her parents, Kate and Gerry, and her siblings in 2007.

There has been no trace of her since, although German police believe she was murdered by a convicted paedophile from Germany.