Nicola Bulley latest: Still no evidence of criminal aspect or third-party involvement of missing mother-of-two

A team of more than 40 detectives have been looking through hundreds of hours of CCTV and dashcam footage and hundreds of pieces of information submitted to the police by the public. There is still “no evidence to indicate a criminal aspect or third party involvement” in Nicola Bulley’s disappearance, Lancashire Police Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson said.

Lancashire Police Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson defended his force’s investigation into the case of the missing mother-of-two at a press conference on Wednesday. Setting out the details of the probe in more detail than police “normally” would, he said the scale has been “unprecedented”. Nearly 40 detectives have sifted through hundreds of hours of CCTV, dashcam footage and tip-offs from the public.

And Mr Lawson said: “There is no evidence to indicate a criminal aspect or third party involvement in Nicola’s disappearance.”

Detectives have sought to combat disinformation about her disappearance amid growing speculation about what might have happened to her and criticism of the police effort. Ms Bulley disappeared while walking her springer spaniel, Willow, in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre after she dropped her two daughters – aged six and nine – at school on January 27.

At a press conference on February 3 Lancashire Police first told the public of their “main working hypothesis” that the mortgage adviser fell in the river during a “10-minute window” between 9.10am and 9.20am that day.

The force said her disappearance is not being treated as suspicious. Her body has still not been found and detectives extended the search for her to the sea on February 3, saying finding her there “becomes more of a possibility”.

Nicola was last seen in the upper field at about 09.10am that morning and everything seemed normal, Smith told assembled reporters. Nicola was walking her dog WIllow who was off the lead.

"A number of inconsistencies have been raised in relation to Nicola's dog," Smith says, adding that "it was really normal for Willow to not have her harness on". "It would been taken off when they entered the field and only put back on when they were ready to leave the field," she said.

Smith said there were a number of dog walkers in the area when Bulley disappeared and that police have also viewed a "substantial amount of CCTV". "While we can't cover the whole area with CCTV, we've been really fortunate in that we've had a lot," she said.

Detectives have been “inundated with false information, accusations and rumours which is distracting” them from their work to find Nicola Bulley, who is a “high-risk” missing person with “specific vulnerabilities”, Lancashire Police Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith said.