Nicola Bulley: Search for missing mum moves towards sea

The hunt for missing mum Nicola Bulley has shifted from the stream adjacent to wherever she vanished "further downstream" and retired towards the sea.

Ms Bulley, 45, was past seen connected a riverside canine locomotion successful St Michael's connected Wyre, Lancashire connected 27 January.

Police hunt teams were spotted wherever the River Wyre meets the Irish Sea astatine Morecambe Bay and besides astatine Knott End.

Meanwhile, officers said they had stopped radical filming connected societal media astatine houses adjacent wherever she disappeared.

Lancashire Police said it had issued 2 dispersal notices, warned others astir anti-social behaviour successful the area, and officers were looking into "grossly offensive" comments made online.

Ms Bulley had dropped her 2 daughters, aged six and nine, disconnected astatine schoolhouse and past gone connected her accustomed canine locomotion alongside the stream connected 27 January.

Her phone, inactive connected to a Teams call, was recovered connected a seat connected a steep riverbank overlooking the water, on with the canine pb and harness connected the ground.

Despite a large search, including divers, drones and a constabulary helicopter, determination has been nary hint of Ms Bulley since she was past seen astatine 09:10 GMT.

Police judge she fell successful the river, but detectives said they stay "fully open-minded" to immoderate accusation that indicates wherever she is oregon what happened to her.

The River Wyre is astir 32 miles (52km) agelong and the hunt has present been extended to Morecambe Bay and astir 10 miles (16km) downstream to Knott End.

A dinghy with 2 officers connected committee could beryllium seen downstream wherever the River Wyre meets the Irish Sea astatine Morecambe Bay.

An orangish rescue vessel was besides spotted astatine Knott End, astatine the rima of the bay.

The unit said the hunt had moved "further downstream into the country of the stream which becomes tidal and past retired towards the sea".

A specializer diving team, Specialist Group International (SGI), earlier assisted constabulary successful the hunt of the stream astatine the petition of Ms Bulley's family.

The firm's laminitis Peter Faulding said his squad was pulling retired due to the fact that helium believed Ms Bulley was "categorically not" successful the country of stream wherever constabulary judge she fell in.

Two dispersal notices, which stay successful spot for 48 hours, were issued successful St Michael's connected Wyre astatine astir 20:40 GMT connected Wednesday.

"We volition not tolerate criminality, including trespass and transgression damage," a unit typical said.

On Tuesday, Supt Sally Riley had warned astir immoderate radical speculating online.

The unit said it was looking into a fig of "grossly offensive" comments made connected societal media and it would "not hesitate to instrumentality enactment wherever appropriate".

Ms Bulley's person Emma White said conspiracy theories being dispersed online were hindering the search.

She told BBC Radio Lancashire an abandoned location crossed the stream from the spot wherever Ms Bulley's mobile telephone was recovered had been "searched wrong and out" and she urged radical to enactment away.

"Please, please, delight don't beryllium going into the village... and knocking connected people's doors oregon doing Youtube oregon TikTok [videos]," she said.

Ms White said 3 constabulary vans had responded to 999 calls connected Wednesday owed to this behaviour, "which is not lone taking the efforts distant from looking for Nicola but besides the community".

"We are begging delight bash not instrumentality the substance into your ain hands," she said.

"The constabulary are doing tremendous enactment truthful we request to permission it to them."