Nicola Bulley: CCTV blindspots in area where missing mum vanished revealed after cops admitted she could have left path

THE key CCTV blind spots in the area where Nicola Bulley went missing have been revealed after cops admitted she could have left the path.

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

Despite rigorous searches over the last two weeks, there has been no trace of the mortgage broker.

Cops confirmed there is a ten-minute window where they 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.

For days police have been working on the "hypothesis" that the mum-of-two slipped into the icy water and drowned.

Aside from the river itself, there are only two other exits from the area, one of which is covered by CCTV.

However, cops have admitted that it is possible she left the area by the one path not covered by security cameras.

The path in question leads to Garstang Road, which runs through the village, and is therefore a blindspot. 

Lancashire Police is trying to get any dashcam footage from the 700 drivers they have identified as passing along the main road in the village around the time she vanished.

While friends of Nicola have claimed that CCTV covering the other exit, close to mobile home site Rowanwater, is not working. near the river via Rowanwater.

This is the case for leaving either through the site itself or the piece of land at the side.

It comes as police are probing reports of a “shabby and suspicious” red van near where Nicola Bulley disappeared.

The vehicle was spotted close to the mum’s walking route on the morning she went missing.

It was seen parked in a lane — a few hundred yards from the school where Nicola, 45, had dropped off her young children.

A man in his 50s described the van as a high-sided Renault or Transit in a faded red.

The witness said: “It was a shabby looking van, an older model, the kind you can live or work in.

“It was on a quiet lane near a barn, with a couple of houses dotted around.

“Obviously, I don’t know whether this van is related to Nicola’s disappearance. All I know is that something grabbed my attention. I felt compelled to tell police about it.

“Even though it was down the road, as the crow flies it’s quite close to where Nicola was last seen.”

The Sun understands a second witness also contacted police to report seeing the van in the area.

It comes as the search for Nicola moved to the sea yesterday amid the possibility she was swept 20 miles downriver.

Officers scoured Morecambe Bay as it emerged she was last spotted nearly two hours before police were called.

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.

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