Police urge Nicola Bulley vigilantes to 'stop breaking into empty properties'


The police have told the public to stop breaking into empty or derelict properties by the river where Nicola Bulley went missing. Lancashire Police told members of the public not to take the law into their own hands or direct abuse at people linked to the investigation.

Mum-of-two Nicola Bulley, 45, from Inskip, went missing on January 27 in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.

Police search teams have scoured the River Wyre where the mortgage adviser vanished in what they insist is a missing person case.

Superintendent Sally Riley told a press conference: “We will not tolerate online abuse of anyone, including innocent witnesses, members of the family and friends, of local businesses, or of criminal damage or burglary. We will be taking a strong line on that, as you would expect.”

She added: “There are some properties along the riverside which are empty or derelict. Whilst it may be well-intentioned that people think that that could be a line of inquiry, I would ask them to desist from doing that.

“In some cases, it may be criminal if they are breaking in and causing damage or committing a burglary.”

“This is particularly hurtful to her family, to her children, to her partner Paul, to her parents, her sister and her friends because it is not helpful to them, it is distressing and it is distracting for the police inquiry.

“Nor is it helpful if people, particularly if they have come from outside of the area, take it upon themselves to take the law into their own hands by trying to, for example, break into empty property.

“They may mean well, they may want to help, but they can help in thinking back if they were in the area to what information they may have of relevance to the police and holding the family in their thoughts.”

Lancashire Police’s enquiries so far have included searches of the River Wyre, extending all the way to the sea. Teams have been using sonar, search dogs, helicopter, house to house enquiries and CCTV.

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The force has rejected suggestions Ms Bulley could have been the victim of a crime, maintaining its belief she fell into the Wyre.

Supt Riley told reporters on Tuesday that every single potential suspicion or suggestion of crime had been looked at by detectives and rejected.

She added that the force believes Ms Bulley fell into the river while walking her springer spaniel, Willow, whose harness and lead were left on or close to a bench near the Wyre along with her owner’s mobile phone.

Police say it is still a “possibility” Ms Bulley left the area by a path not covered by cameras which is crossed by a main road through the village.

Officers are trying to trace dashcam footage from 700 drivers who passed along the road at the time she disappeared, around 9.20am on January 27.

Ms Bulley is described by Lancashire Police as white, 5ft 3ins tall, with light brown shoulder-length hair.

She speaks with an Essex accent and was last seen wearing a long, knee-length black quilted gilet with a hood.

The mum had a black Engelbert Strauss coat underneath which had long sleeves and came to her waist.

She was wearing tight black jeans and had long green walking socks tucked into them. She was wearing size five ankle-length, green wellington boots from Next.

Her hair was tied into a ponytail and she was wearing a pale blue fitbit.

Anyone with information or footage is asked to call 101, quoting log 565 of January 30. For any immediate sightings, call 999.



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