Nicola Bulley: Friend unhappy with search area 'tourists'

A person of missing Nicola Bulley has said an influx of visitors to the hunt country had made it consciousness similar a "tourist spot".

The 45-year-old mother-of-two went missing 12 days agone connected a riverside locomotion successful St Michael's connected Wyre, Lancashire.

Heather Gibbons said the household understands "human nature" but immoderate person been turning up to "do idiosyncratic societal media things".

Police warned they would not tolerate harmful speculation and "online abuse".

Ms Gibbons said: "The information is if we look astatine it factually, no-one knows until we person immoderate evidence.

"I deliberation it's incredibly hard, but up to a definite level, we recognize it's quality nature. It's earthy for everyone to person speculation, due to the fact that the information is, thing is making sense."

She said the turnout for the hunt was "amazing".

But she added: "We person noticed it does consciousness similar immoderate radical person travel to possibly usage it arsenic much similar a tourer spot, to bash their ain idiosyncratic societal media things which successful immoderate ways we spot and recognize but it is hard, there's a batch of radical astir arsenic it is."

Speaking successful a property league connected Tuesday, Supt Sally Riley said: "We would inquire that radical successful the wider community, peculiarly connected societal media and online, bash not speculate arsenic to what whitethorn person happened to Nicola.

"We volition not tolerate online maltreatment of anyone, including guiltless witnesses, members of the household and friends, of section businesses, oregon of transgression harm oregon burglary."

She added: "We volition beryllium taking a beardown enactment connected that, arsenic you would expect.

"We would inquire that radical successful the wider community, peculiarly connected societal media and online, bash not speculate arsenic to what whitethorn person happened to Nicola."

Police said they inactive judge Ms Bulley fell successful the river, but stay "fully open-minded to immoderate accusation that whitethorn bespeak wherever Nicola is oregon what happened to her".

Ms Bulley had dropped her 2 daughters, aged six and nine, disconnected astatine schoolhouse and past gone connected her accustomed canine locomotion alongside the river.

Her phone, inactive connected to a Teams telephone for her occupation arsenic a owe adviser, was recovered connected a seat connected a steep riverbank overlooking the water, on with the canine pb and harness connected the ground.