Nicola Bulley's family find police theory that she slipped into the river 'hard ... trends now

Nicola Bulley's family are finding the police theory that she fell into the river 'hard to contemplate' as they cling to hope that she is still alive.

Police expressed concerns that the missing mother-of-two may have wound up in the icy cold water on River Wyre while trying to retrieve her dog Willow's tennis ball.

If this is the case and Ms Bulley did fall into the water, she may have been weighed down by the heavy clothing she was wearing on the day she vanished.

While police are still investigating how or why she may have ended up in the water, their lead theory is that for some as yet unknown reason, she did enter the river on the morning of Friday January 27, shortly after dropping her daughters, aged six and nine, at school.

Since then Ms Bulley's distraught family have been clinging to hopes she may still be alive. In the early stages of the investigation they questioned whether it was possible she had been taken, and reportedly even considered if she'd staged her own disappearance.

Last night they were finding the candid police assessment 'hard to contemplate' but continued to hold onto hope, the Mail was told.

Ms Bulley's desperate parents, sister, partner and daughters have all been living a nightmare over the past week. Partner Paul Ansell, a 44-year-old company director, said he shared the bewilderment of millions who had followed the agonising mystery since his partner of 12 years disappeared.

At the scene yesterday he said: 'My whole focus is my two girls, just staying as strong as I can for them. I'm scared that if I put focus into anything else it's going to take my focus off that. 

'I just can't believe we're a week on, and it seems like we're no further on. It just seems absolutely impossible. Like a dream. I cannot get my head around it. Right now it's like she's vanished into thin air, it's insane.'

Friend Luke Sumner acknowledged the evidence thus far does appear to point to the river.

'It's very, very wet, the banks can be quite steep in certain areas, and the current can be quite fast,' he told Radio 4's PM. But he said family and friends continued 'clinging to any hope there is'.

But while police have publicly said they believe Ms Bulley likely fell into the river, they still haven't entirely ruled out other options.

Substantial CCTV in the region has all but ruled out she exited the park from most of the surrounding gates. 

But there is one area they're yet to investigate. 

Lancashire Police Superintendent Sally Riley told the Lancashire Post: 'Several exits of the riverside area have CCTV covering them or exits are locked and therefore couldn't have been passed through by Nicola. 

'There's only a very small area onto Garstang Lane toward the A5/A6 which is not covered by CCTV and that's why we're appealing today for dashcam footage or for people who may have been walking on Garstang Lane or driving in the area to come forward if they can.' 

The mother-of-two, 45, was last seen wearing an ankle-length black quilted gilet jacket, a black Engelbert Strauss waist-length coat, tight-fitting jeans and green wellies.

She had a pale blue Fitbit strapped to her wrist as she took her Spaniel, Willow, on a brisk walk through River Wyre - a route she took often after dropping her two daughters to school nearby.

Speaking to MailOnline following a press conference in the village of St Michael's on Wyre, Supt Riley said officers were looking at all scenarios.

But she admitted it was 'possible' that Ms Bulley fell into the River Wyre while attempting to retrieve a tennis ball for her dog close to the water's edge.

Ms Bulley posted numerous images of herself exercising along the same stretch of the River Wyre to where she was last seen last on the running tracking app Strava.

In a couple of the photos Willow is seen playing with the ball.

Superintendent Riley said: 'I'm not aware of a dog ball being retrieved but it's possible that a ball could have rolled down the steep bank close to the edge of the water and Ms Bulley was bending down to pick it up.

'What she was wearing could also be a factor.

'I don't wish to speculate but the facts are that she was wearing a quilted, ankle-length gilet, which is a big coat, and underneath that there was another coat and then under that coat more clothing.

'She was also wearing ankle-length wellingtons. One would assume they fill with water when someone enters a river so all of that clothing is heavy, particularly on someone who is of slight build and only 5 foot three.'

And outdoor swimming expert Camilla Golledge told MailOnline the shock of the cold water could also limit a person's ability to swim to safety. 

The Kent-based instructor said: 'People are experiencing cold water shock at the moment because the water is so cold... which means that your natural response if to take a big gasp of air, meaning water will fill your lungs.

'Everybody would experience it unless you are an experienced outdoor swimmer.

'It has less to do with the clothes. They certainly won't help.'

She said Ms Bulley may have been unable to call for help, especially because her clothes and wellies would have weighed her down.

'Most people suffering from cold water shock or drowning in open water are people that did not mean to be there,' Ms Golledge said.

'What you need to do is coach your breathing, get in slowly, rather than falling or jumping in.

'Even I as an experienced open water swimmer, I get in slowly and I have to coach my breathing. My body does feel shock with that unnatural breath in.'

Supt Riley said there were no reports of anyone in distress, no shouting or splashing, and no footprints were found on the bank. 

Social media sleuths sharing theories about Ms Bulley's disappearance online have been warned they're only adding to the hurt and pain felt by her family.

A friend said: 'They perhaps need to find a better way of occupying their time... They could do something more useful and proactive with their time… help search, share posters, but allegations are cruel and unhelpful."

Armchair detectives and well-meaning strangers have made wild allegations in the days since Ms Bulley vanished. 

Some people claiming to be psychics say they had visions of the mother-of-two in the river, while others insist she was 'taken' - despite repeated police statements saying there does not appear to be third party involvement.

Speaking to The Mirror, a friend said she believes these outlandish hypotheses are the work of 'attention seekers', describing the comments as 'cruel, unhelpful' and hurtful to Ms Bulley's loved ones.

Specialist police officers have scanned the section of the River Wyre close to the bench where her mobile phone was recovered later in the morning last Friday.

The spot is 300metres away from a weir, which divides the river between tidal and non-tidal.

Nothing of note had been found, the officer said, but she added that a 'large mass' could go over that weir downstream, which would present 'more complexities and challenges' as it flows out to the coast nine miles away at Fleetwood.

Officers have scoured the riverbed with modern underwater drones, which are similar to mini submarines equipped with cameras operated by someone on land or on a boat.

Police diving teams will continue to comb the riverbed of the Wyre in the area close to the bench over the weekend, while the Coastguard and the RNLI will continue checking the tidal stretch out to Fleetwood and Morecombe Bay.

Author and former soldier Chris Ryan, who goes by ChrisRyanMM and was a member of the British Army's elite SAS squadron for a decade, also highlighted the struggles Nicola would have faced if she did fall in the water.

'It is an awful case and my heart goes out to her and her

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