Nicola Bulley: Further witness sought in search for missing mum

Detectives searching for a missing parent who vanished connected a riverside canine locomotion privation to talk to a pistillate successful a reddish overgarment who was seen successful the area.

Nicola Bulley, 45, was past seen walking adjacent to the River Wyre successful St Michael's connected Wyre, Lancashire, astatine astir 09:15 GMT past Friday.

A large hunt involving constabulary divers has been continuing, but nary hint has been found.

Lancashire Police said the imaginable witnesser was walking a tiny achromatic dog.

Officers said the woman, who was captured connected CCTV astatine astir 08:50 connected Allotment Lane, adjacent to wherever Ms Bulley was past seen, mightiness person accusation to assistance the investigation.

She was wearing a reddish and achromatic overgarment with a fur hood, light-coloured trousers and a airy bobble chapeau and was walking a tiny achromatic dog.

Officers were alerted aft Ms Bulley's canine was recovered moving escaped disconnected Garstang Road.

Her telephone was aboriginal recovered connected a bench, inactive connected to a enactment call.

A harness and pb for her springer spaniel, Willow, was besides discovered connected the bench.

Lancashire Police said officers were keeping an "open mind" astir what happened, but did not judge Ms Bulley had been attacked.

There is thing to suggest immoderate 3rd enactment engagement successful Ms Bulley's disappearance, the unit added.

Supt Sally Riley said: "We cognize that Nicola going missing has caused a large woody of interest for the wider section community, arsenic good arsenic evidently being an atrocious clip for her family.

"I admit that determination are unanswered questions astir what has happened to Nicola, but I would impulse radical not to speculate oregon dispersed mendacious rumours."

A cardinal witness, who was walking a achromatic fluffy canine successful the area, was located and spoken to connected Tuesday.

Ms Bulley's partner, Paul Ansell, 44, said the household was successful a "perpetual hell" with 2 girls "desperate to person their mummy back".

Ms Bulley's parents earlier told the Mirror her 2 daughters, aged six and nine, who she had conscionable dropped disconnected astatine school, were "sobbing their hearts out" due to the fact that "mummy is lost".