Inside ‘complex’ Nicola Bulley search as cops probe 500 active lines of inquiry and track down 700 cars in area

THE extent of the "complex"; search for missing mum-of-two Nicola Bulley has been revealed by cops.

Nicola, 45, was last seen in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, at around 9.15am on January 27.

Since then, there has been no trace of the mum with search efforts ramping up on Tuesday.

Police, coastguard and private divers have been desperately searching for evidence.

And last night Lancashire Police revealed the details surrounding their mammoth enquiry.

Superintendent Sally Riley explained the huge amount of effort being put into finding the missing mum.

She said: “At the moment there are around 500 active pieces of information and lines of inquiry that they are working on to try and find answers for Nicola’s family.

“We have a team of 40 or so detectives under a senior investigating officer working daily to comb through this enormous amount of information.

“This is normal in a missing person enquiry and does not indicate that there is any suspicious element to this story.

“The enquiry team remains fully open minded to any information that may indicate where Nicola is or what happened to her.”

Supt Riley said the force has not yet detected a "suspicious" element in Nicola's disappearance.

She added: "Every third party element or criminal element has been looked into and discounted.";

Officers are speaking to the drivers of 700 vehicles that drove through the leafy village at around 9.10am on the morning Nicola vanished.

Supt Riley said the search is "complex" as the river can be fast-moving with parts of the water tidal.

She added: "It remains our belief that Nicola fell into the river and that this is a missing person inquiry."

It comes after the head of the specialist dive squad searching for Nicola said it is "unlikely" she will be found in the river after searching "large areas" for two days.

Peter Faulding of Specialist Group International (SGI) also claimed it is “impossible” that her body could have reached the sea.

He told : “We've been using the high frequency side scan sonar in this stretch today and it's so detailed I can even see every stone of it. She's not in this stretch.

“We also sonar-ed on the other side down yesterday in the tidal river.

"Now if you take a football on a tidal river…when the tide goes out the the ball will go down the stream and then as soon as the tide turns it will come back in again.

"It'll end up back at the same place.

“For Nicola to get out to the sea would be impossible, literally, it is such a long way.”

Supt Sally Riley claimed there may have been an “issue” with dog Willow that led Nicola to the edge of the water.

Officers yesterday revealed more about Nicola's final movements as they issued an update on her disappearance.

They said she did not leave the field where she was walking Willow via Rowanwater, either through the site itself or via the piece of land at the side.

Nicola also did not return to the fields along Allotment Lane or via the path at the rear of the Grapes pub onto Garstang Road.

Officers are now focusing on a river path that leads from the fields back to Garstang Road and are appealing for drivers to come forward.

Anyone who travelled down the road on that day will also receive a letter from police requesting dashcam footage.