Nicola Bulley search now moves to the SEA as police boats trawl Morecambe Bay 15km away from where phone was found

Police searching for Nicola Bulley have started trawling Morecombe Bay, 15km from where her phone was found, after underwater search experts failed to find her in the River Wyre.

The 45-year-old went missing on January 27 at around 9:20am after dropping her children – aged six and nine – at school in St Michael’s on Wyre in Lancashire.

Peter Faulding, who was called in by the family to help find Bulley, met her partner Paul Ansell on Wednesday and told him she had still not been found.

The police confirmed they have moved their search towards Morecambe Bay.

In a statement, Lancashire Police said: "People may have seen less police activity today than previously in the area of the river above the weir but that is not because we have stepped down our searches, it is because the focus of the search has moved further downstream into the area of the river which becomes tidal and then out towards the sea."

Now search teams from Lancashire Police and the Coastguard, including divers, are focusing on the 10 miles or so of river downstream of the bench, where the River Wyre empties into the sea at Morecambe Bay.

Superintendent Sally Riley, of Lancashire Police, described the search as “unprecedented”, with 40 detectives following 500 lines of inquiry, with thousands of pieces of information coming in from the public.

And officers were trying to trace dashcam footage from 700 drivers who went through the village on the morning Bulley disappeared.

But Supt Riley ruled out criminal or third-party involvement and on Tuesday reiterated the police’s belief that Ms Bulley had fallen into the river, with her body still unrecovered and police treating the incident as a missing person inquiry.

Police have issued a dispersal order for the village where Nicola Bulley went missing after people travelled to the area to reportedly search an abandoned house.

Lancashire Constabulary said: “We can confirm a dispersal order was issued around 8.40pm yesterday (Wednesday February 8) in St Michael’s on Wyre.

“This followed reports of individuals – from outside the area of St Michael’s – filming on social media close to properties.

Lancashire Police handout

“The order will remain in place for 48 hours and gives officers the power to disperse anyone committing anti-social behaviour.

“Two dispersal notices were issued, and a number of other people were warned about their behaviour.”

The force added that it would “not tolerate criminality, including trespass and criminal damage”.

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