Crucial area in Nicola Bulley search is NOT covered by CCTV, cops reveal as they make appeal

POLICE have revealed a key area where Nicola Bulley vanished ten days ago is not covered by CCTV.

The mum-of-two, 45, was last seen walking her dog in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27.

Police confirmed there is a ten-minute window where police cannot account for Nicola’s movements.

This is between 9.10am – the last confirmed sighting – and 9.20am when Nicola’s phone is believed to have been on a bench while connected to a work call.

The mortgage broker was last seen on the upper field walking springer spaniel Willow but there has been no trace since.

It has now emerged CCTV on an area close to where Nicola vanished was not working at the time of her disappearance.

Superintendent Sally Riley told the : “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.”

Officers have released a timeline of the missing mum’s final movements before she disappeared.

Nicola began her walk along the towpath to the River Wyre at 8.43am after dropping her two children off at school.

Police say around seven minutes later, a dog walker who knows Nicola saw her walking around the lower field with her springer spaniel Willow.

The witness said their two dogs interacted briefly before she left Nicola via the river path.

At 8.53am, the mum sent an email to her boss at Exclusively Mortgages.

She then logged into a Teams call at 9.01am and was seen around nine minutes later on the upper field walking Willow.

Police say at 9.30am, the work call ended but Nicola stayed logged on.

At around 9.35am, the mobile and Willow were found at a bench by the river but there was no sign of Nicola.

Police said previously their “main working hypothesis” is that Nicola had “sadly fallen in the river”.

Private divers from Specialist Group International (SGI) will today scour the river using Sonar.

Nicola has been described as white, 5ft 3ins tall with light-brown shoulder-length hair.

She was last seen wearing an ankle-length black quilted gilet jacket with a black Engelbert Strauss waist-length coat underneath and black tight-fitting jeans.

She had long green walking socks tucked into her jeans, ankle-length green Next wellies, a necklace and a pale blue Fitbit on.

Nicola has an Essex accent and links to the Thornton-Cleveleys area near Blackpool.

Anybody with information about where she might be is asked to call 101, quoting log 473 of January 27, or ring 999 for immediate sightings.