Lancashire Police has issued a warning to people trying to help find missing mum Nicola Bulley.
Nicola, had just dropped off her two children and school and was walking her dog, Willow, by the River Wyre in Lancashire before she disappeared on Friday, January 27. Emergency services and members of the public are still searching for the mum-of-two.
Police officers said they are working on the theory that the 45-year-old , who has been described by friends as a strong swimmer, fell into the river, but that line of investigation has been questioned by friends and family. In a press conference on Tuesday, February 7, Superintendent Sally Riley said the force still believes this is the case.
READ MORE: Nicola Bulley latest: Police give press conference as search continues
She said: "It does remain our belief that Nicola sadly fell into the river, and this is a missing person enquiry. Our work around the search of the river and the river bank continues and this includes many pieces of different technical equipment.
"As I said on Friday, the river is a complex area to search, it is not a still water it is a fast flowing moving water which is tidal in parts. This makes it particularly complex. We have already discounted particular areas of the river but as they are tidal we have re-searched them to make sure nothing has been washed back into those search areas.
"We have six people searching the river banks every day, these are specially trained search officers, who are systematically, methodically searching the river bank and open ground."
Lancashire Police said they have found no evidence of criminality in the disappearance of Nicola Bulley and do not expect to find any as their investigation continues.
When asked about amateur investigators breaking into properties near where Ms Bulley was last seen, Superintendent Sally Riley told a press conference: "There are some properties along the riverside which are empty or derelict and 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, causing damage or committing a burglary. We have gone into derelict property - including ones on the riverside, (and) any under renovation that were empty - with the permission of those owners and their knowledge.
"We have now searched houses matching that sort of profile on the riverbank, including their grounds. Because there is no criminal evidence yet identified and we don't expect there to be in this inquiry, then we are not starting to go into houses because that is not where the inquiry is leading us."
Lancashire Police has received thousands of pieces of information from the public and have 500 active pieces of information and lines of enquiry.
Nicola is white, 5ft 3ins tall, with light brown shoulder-length hair. She speaks with an Essex accent. She was last seen wearing a long, knee length black quilted gilet with a hood.
She 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 her jeans.
She was wearing size five ankle length green wellington boots from Next. Her hair was tied into a ponytail. 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, please call 999.
READ NEXT
Couple 'mortified' after forgetting to pay restaurant bill
Second man killed in M57 crash will 'never be forgotten'
Our reporter visited the scene where Nicola Bulley went missing and found a village in shock
Every word judge said to lying mum Janette Mercer
New Lidl hair styling range rivalling Dyson Supersonic for less than £20
