Search for 'woman in red' who may hold key to finding Nicola Bulley trends now

Search for 'woman in red' who may hold key to finding Nicola Bulley trends now
Search for 'woman in red' who may hold key to finding Nicola Bulley trends now

Search for 'woman in red' who may hold key to finding Nicola Bulley trends now

Police today released a CCTV image of another dogwalker who may be the last person to see Nicola Bulley before she vanished last Friday.

The woman in a red coat walking a white dog on a lead in St Michael's on Wyre north of Preston is being sought as a potential witness rather than a suspect in any crime.

She was seen on CCTV at around 8.48am on Allotment Lane, close to where Ms Bulley was last seen on January 27 and was also seen near to the gate at the end of Allotment Lane. 

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: 'We would now like to speak to the woman pictured on the below CCTV, who we believe was in the area at the time Nicola was last seen and who may have information that could help us. We would stress that the woman is sought as a witness and nothing more'.

It came hours after police sealed off a path by a bench where missing mother-of-two Nicola was last seen a week ago - as specialist divers scour the area for clues. 

Do you know the woman in red? Police looking for Nicola Bulley want to speak to her as a potential witness

Do you know the woman in red? Police looking for Nicola Bulley want to speak to her as a potential witness

Two officers help a police diver up a river bank where searches are continuing for missing mother Nicola Bulley

Two officers help a police diver up a river bank where searches are continuing for missing mother Nicola Bulley 

Nicola Bulley's partner, Paul, tried to gently break the news of her disappearance to their two daughters, who are now confused and continuing to ask their grandparents when she is coming home

Nicola Bulley's partner, Paul, tried to gently break the news of her disappearance to their two daughters, who are now confused and continuing to ask their grandparents when she is coming home

The potential witness is described as wearing a red and white coat with a fur hood, light-coloured trousers and a light bobble hat.

The force said the woman was walking a small, white dog. Police said there was nothing to suggest any third party involvement, adding the woman was sought as a 'witness and nothing more'.

Specialist teams from the police and other emergency services continue to search the area near the River Wyre including divers and underwater drones.

Officers are combing the riverbed near the bench on which Ms Bulley's mobile phone was found and where her dog was later retrieved by a local resident.

Trees and foliage which hang over the river are also being checked for any items of interest.

Timeline: Mystery of mother who vanished while walking her dog 

Jan 27 - Nicola Bulley drops her two daughters off at school and leaves her vehicle in the car park. 

9.15am - The 45-year-old, from nearby Inskip, is seen from Garstang Road walking east along the River Wyre towpath. 

10.15am - The alarm is raised around an hour later by a walker who finds her springer spaniel Willow running lose. 

The dog's harness and lead are found on a bench along with her phone, which is still connected to a work conference call. 

Jan 28 - Feb 2 - Police hunt for Ms Bulley, including by searching the stretch of river where she was last seen. 

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A solo police diver spent an hour in the River Wyre this morning, using a head torch to search through the murky water.

She emerged on to the bank just after 12.30pm this afternoon without finding anything of note.

Another police diver was seen being readied to enter the river and is due take over the underwater search this afternoon.

A police source told MailOnline: 'The underwater teams are performing what's known as an arc search, whereby they monitor the riverbed by moving in a side-to-side motion from bank to bank.

'As of yet nothing of significance has been found but it'll be a long, thorough process.'

The stretch of river close to where Ms Bulley was in the village of St Michael's on Wyre is about nine miles east of the estuary in Fleetwood.   

Ms Bulley, 45, was last seen walking her spaniel Willow at about 9.15am last Friday along the River Wyre in Lancashire while dialled into a business call.

The night before her disappearance, she had been planning a spa trip with her sister Louise and discussing what treatments they'd get, according to her mother Dot.

At the time, her parents were looking after her daughters while Ms Bulley took a business call. She was 'upbeat', having recently secured a new client at work.

A diver has been searching the water while teams on the river bank use a 20-foot-long probe attached to an underwater camera

A diver has been searching the water while teams on the river bank use a 20-foot-long probe attached to an underwater camera

Pictures taken this afternoon show an officer standing guard by a small mud path near to where Nicola Bulley disappeared

Pictures taken this afternoon show an officer standing guard by a small mud path near to where Nicola Bulley disappeared 

The diver gestures to colleagues on the river bank as they prepare to haul her up the slope

The diver gestures to colleagues on the river bank as they prepare to haul her up the slope 

Officers are combing the riverbed near to the bench on which Ms Bulley's mobile phone was found and where her dog was later retrieved by a local resident

Officers are combing the riverbed near to the bench on which Ms Bulley's mobile phone was found and where her dog was later retrieved by a local resident 

A police source told MailOnline: 'The underwater teams are performing what's known as an arc search, whereby they monitor the riverbed by moving in a side-to-side motion from bank to bank'

A police source told MailOnline: 'The underwater teams are performing what's known as an arc search, whereby they monitor the riverbed by moving in a side-to-side motion from bank to bank' 

The stretch of river close to where Ms Bulley was in the village of St Michael's on Wyre is about nine miles east of the estuary in Fleetwood

The stretch of river close to where Ms Bulley was in the village of St Michael's on Wyre is about nine miles east of the estuary in Fleetwood 

A drone photo from February 1, when police searched an 'abandoned' old house and the surrounding areas

A drone photo from February 1, when police searched an 'abandoned' old house and the surrounding areas

Police have been on the river for several days amid fears that Ms Bulley could have fallen in

Police have been on the river for several days amid fears that Ms Bulley could have fallen in  

Recalling their last conversation, her father, Ernest, told The Mirror: 'I said we better go now and Nicola came to the front door, and I gave her a kiss and told her I loved her and that was the last conversation I had with her.' 

Both Ernest, 73, and Dot, 72, said their daughter's disappearance was out of character and revealed that they asked police if 'there is any chance' she has been abducted.

Asked about their daughter's state of mind in recent days, the couple said there had been absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

She had no health problems that they knew of and was enjoying her job.

Ms Bulley, who 'lived for her children', had also bought tickets to watch them perform in choir and gymnastics shows in recent weeks, Dot added. 

Ernest broke down as he told how hard it was to be in the same room as his granddaughters, aged six and nine, as they continue to ask questions about their mother's whereabouts.

'When I look at the kids, I have to go out of the room because I can't hold it together,' he said. 

'They are asking where Mummy is and when is Mummy coming home? It's so hard.'    

The family say the girls were 'sobbing their hearts out' when their father, Paul Ansell, tried to explain to them that 'Mummy is lost'. 

'We don't know how long we can keep going before they realise. They think Mummy is coming home soon, but if this keeps going on I don't know what we're going to say to them.' 

Ernest and Ms Bulley's extended family have questioned whether she was taken from the river bank, given there were 'no signs' that she'd slipped or fallen into the water and zero clues as to where she could be.

The family have vowed to never give up their search.

Ms Bulley had dropped her two daughters off at primary school in the village of St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, at about 8.45am last Friday. 

She then walked Willow to a nearby towpath by the River Wyre but has not been seen since. 

The night before her disappearance, Ms Bulley had been planning a spa trip with her sister, Louise, and discussing what treatments they'd get

The night before her disappearance, Ms Bulley had been planning a spa trip with her sister, Louise, and discussing what treatments they'd get 

A message left with a bunch of flowers on the banks of the River Wyre

A message left with a bunch of flowers on the banks of the River Wyre

Police today on the banks of the River Wyre as the search for Ms Bulley continues

Police today on the banks of the River Wyre as the search for Ms Bulley continues 

Police search teams walk up to the banks of the River Wyre

Police search teams walk up to the banks of the River Wyre

A bench near to the spot where the mother of two was last seen while walking her dog

A bench near to the spot where the mother of two was last seen while walking her dog 

Willow was spotted by a woman near a slippery river bank, by a bench where Ms Bulley's phone was later found still dialled into a business call.

The dog was 'bone dry' meaning that the animal had not entered the water - but appeared to be distressed by something.

Police say they remain 'open-minded' as to Ms Bulley's disappearance but do not believe at present that she was attacked.

Rescuers have so far focused their efforts on a tidal stretch of the river amid fears she may have fallen in and been washed out towards the coast at Fleetwood, some nine miles away.

Friends of Ms Bulley say that the doting mother would have never willingly left her family. 

Rescue teams have scoured the area near Garstang Road for clues over the 45-year-old's mysterious disappearance.

While the river is just 18 inches deep in some areas, the section where Ms Bulley's phone was found is near a sign which reads: 'Danger -

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