Nicola Bulley cops told to search specific part of river close to where teen vanished 45 years ago

COPS searching for Nicola Bulley have been told to scour a specific part of the river - close to where a teen vanished 45 years ago.

A local river expert says there are inlets and gullies connected to the River Wyre that are not accessible by boat - and would have to be searched on foot.

The man, who The Sun Online has agreed not to name, said the areas were close to where missing 16-year-old Roger Jones' body was found - two months after he disappeared.

The St Michaels on Wyre resident, who says he knows the icy Lancashire waterway "inside out", claims he's told cops to search those spots.

He said if Nicola had fallen into the river her body could have ended up where Roger's did.

The teen ended up in the River Wyre after he was thrown into the water during a motorbike smash on January 27, 1978 - exactly 45 years before Nicola disappeared.

His body was found two months later, washed up on a sandbank at low tide seven miles away.

The river expert told The Sun Online: "There are a few places where you'd most likely get lodged for a night or two where there are inlets and gullies, some of which are quite long.

"You can't take a boat down them.

"I just don't understand why we're not searching this area.

"History says that by now she would be much further down the river."

He added: "I've seen sheep wash up, logs wash up, half of trees wash up, and over a period of time you know how slowly things move around and where they move to."

The man, who says he's been riding his jetski on the waterway for more than a decade, said he believed the 45-year-old was in the water - which is the police's main "hypothesis".

He said: "It's a very slippery embankment, there are a lot of rocks where you would fall and you could easily crack your head or you might just fall into the middle.

"So potentially she did fall into the river. You could easily fall in."

The man claimed he asked police divers when they'd searched the areas, and they "said about day two".

He continued: "She wouldn't have been there on day two. 

"I can't help but think they should be doing a land search in these areas."

History says that by now she would be much further down the river.

Local river expert

The expert said he couldn't help but compare Nicola's disappearance to Roger's.

He said: "He fell in around the same point, albeit in the faster moving bit, but it's only 100 metres away and he ended up exactly where I've been saying we should be searching for days.

"It would take an hour a day to check that area. "

The man continued: "My concern is the tides get bigger. They are so focused on the same stretch of river.

"It just annoys me. Why not stay another day or two and search the area the body is most likely to be?"

It comes as police were today seen scouring the sea and coastline - 20 miles away from where the mum vanished.

A new lead also emerged as a "tatty red van" was said to be seen parked close to where Nicola went missing on the day she went missing.

Meanwhile, dive expert Peter Faulding said there was video "proof" Nicola did not fall in the river.

Peter claims this means Nicola did not fall in the river as police believe.