Police searching for missing Nicola Bulley continue to scour river as 'key ... trends now

Police investigating the missing mother Nicola Bulley are continuing to scour the river after admitting they found 'no evidence' she slipped or fell into it - as 'key witness' comes forward. 

On Saturday, police released an image of a potential witness who was spotted in the area at the time of Ms Bulley's disappearance.

Later that evening, they released a statement that said the force 'pleased to say that the woman came forward very quickly' and were treating her as a 'key witness' in the investigation.

The Facebook post by Lancashire Police added: 'Our enquiries to find Nicola are extensive and will include speaking to as many members of the public as possible.'

Photographs of police scouring the River Wyre in St Michael's on Wyre in Lancashire where the mother was last seen have been released as they continue to search.

The police insist that it is their primary theory despite not having found any evidence that she slipped or fell into the river.

Following their first lead of the new witness, they are continuing the investigation as the search on the Wyre River enters its 10th day.

The second new line of inquiry relates to a Fitbit Ms Bulley was wearing on the morning she vanished. Police hope to use technology to help track her whereabouts via the smart watch.

Fitbits are also capable of monitoring a heart rate and could provide vital clues relating to Ms Bulley's last known movements before she vanished. 

Specialist crews will return to the river today to continue scouring the area for clues. 

And while maintaining it is still the 'lead theory' that Ms Bulley somehow came to be in the water, police have now revealed there is no evidence which backs this up - a sentiment which has been repeatedly echoed by the missing mother's family.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Lancashire Police Superintendent Sally Riley said there is 'no evidence of a slip or fall' in the area at the centre of the investigation.

'I think if it had been a sloping bank, a commonsense view would be that you would expect to find scuff marks.

'If it is sheer and you lose your footing, you might not have any marks left on the grass. All of that has been subjected to a detailed search.' 

Supt Riley said on the balance of probabilities, it is 'highly unlikely' criminal activity took place in such a tiny window of time which is currently unaccounted for.

Police are still trying to piece together about 10 minutes from the morning Ms Bulley disappeared.

She said: 'This is a low-crime area. It's genuinely a safe, tight-knit area, people look out for each other. A third-party [being] involved that we haven't yet had sightings of, we haven't caught on CCTV or dash-cam or all the other things I've mentioned, is just not likely.'

This does not mean they've entirely ruled out other scenarios. 

Officers are still desperately appealing for witnesses to come forward, particularly near a CCTV black spot near Garstang Lane.

And Ms Bulley's distraught partner has not given up hope of finding her alive, stating he 'will not entertain any other outcome' as the search continues.

Father-of-two Paul Ansell, 44, said Ms Bulley's disappearance feels 'no more real now' than it did when he first learned she was missing.

'The agony continues... the hope is stronger than ever of finding you. We need her home... we need a happy ending to this nightmare,' he said. 

Mr Ansell also doubled down on comments from Ms Bulley's friends and other relatives warning police have very little basis for their theory that she fell in the river.

He said there was 'no evidence yet to suggest any scenario over another and all options must be kept wide open'. 

Underwater forensics expert Peter Faulding told the Mail police may have missed 'critical' evidence because they failed to seal off the area where Ms Bulley vanished.

Mr Faulding, who has worked on many high-profile criminal cases, said officers were too quick to decide there were no suspicious circumstances and described their investigation as 'a mess'.

'It should have been sealed off immediately as a potential crime scene. That area is critical. Critical forensics could have been found in that location,' he said.

'Now we've had loads of people trampling around, covering up any tracks.

'I don't know how the police can say there's no evidence of third-party involvement in this disappearance when they haven't actually checked. I think this is a mess, really.'

Mr Faulding also offered his expertise to the investigation, saying he would be ready to offer assistance from Monday if police require him.

'The sonar used by the police is pretty low-tech. It's very unlikely they would be able to find a body with it,' he said. 'The divers the police are using are very experienced and professional, but searching that way is a very slow process.

'They are having to swim along in a line, feeling for a body among the weeds, inching down the river bit by bit. They can probably only cover about 100 metres of the river on a good day. Even then, there's an element of luck - divers can miss things in murky water.

'With our kit, I can search about 10 miles of river in a day. If the police say the word, I will fly it up there by helicopter on Monday and get to work.'

Police previously appealed for witnesses, sharing a grainy image of a woman wearing a yellow rain jacket and pushing a pram with a young child. 

Officers from Lancashire Constabulary described the woman in the photo as a 'key witness' and believe she was in the same area as Ms Bulley on Friday January 27, the morning she vanished from the River Wyre while walking her dog. 

Within minutes of the initial appeal being made public, a relative confirmed the woman was 'on the phone' to police.

She said the woman in yellow had not seen anything that could assist police in the investigation. 

Lancashire Police said: 'We must stress that she was very much being treated as a witness and was one of many people in St Michael's on Friday, January 27th.

'Our enquiries to find Nicola are extensive and will include speaking to as many members of the public as possible.'

Amid reports of a widening difference of opinion between Ms Bulley's family and detectives, Mr Ansell echoed police's pleas for potential witnesses who might have dashcam footage to come forward. 

Police are particularly interested in speaking with people who may have been travelling near Blackpool Lane and Garstang Lane between 9am and 10am on the day Ms Bulley vanished.  

'Whilst you may not think that you hold any relevant information, it is really important that we gather as much footage as possible from the area that morning so we can review every piece meticulously to establish whether Nicola can be seen,' police said.

'We know from the footage we are currently reviewing, that this is a busy road, particularly at that time in the morning.

'There will be many people who were in that area at the time who may not think they can help, however we would urge you not to make that decision yourself and to come forward so we can have as much material as possible to assist the investigation.'

The appeal for footage from Garstang Lane comes after police said that while their lead theory is that the missing mother fell into the river, they're still exploring other possibilities.

Substantial CCTV in the region has all but ruled out she exited the park from most of the surrounding gates, but the path leading to Garstang Lane toward the A5/A6 has thus far proven to be a camera black spot.

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 owners of a caravan park close to the riverbank where Ms Bulley is believed to have fallen into the water have already had

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