Nicola Bulley: Specialist team pulls out of search as expert says she’s ‘categorically not’ in section of river
An underwater search expert looking for missing mother Nicola Bulley has said his team is pulling out of the hunt as she is “categorically not” in the area of the river where detectives believe she fell in.
Peter Faulding, a specialist called in by the family who is assisting police with the search, said his team have been unable to locate the 45-year-old.
He said: “We’ve done very thorough searches all the way down to the weir. Police divers have dived it three times, extremely thoroughly.
“That area is completely negative – there is no sign of Nicola in that area. The main focus will be the police investigation down the river, which leads out to the estuary.
“If Nicola was in that river I would have found her – I guarantee you that – and she’s not in that section of the river.”
Mr Faulding, who said he was now pulling his team out of the search, added: “I’m totally baffled by this one to be honest.”
The mother-of-two went missing near to the village of St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on 27 January, while walking her dog after dropping her daughters off at school.
Detectives say their “main working hypothesis” is that she fell into the river and Superintendent Sally Riley, from Lancashire Police, reiterated at a news conference on Tuesday that this remained the force’s belief at this time.
But Ms Bulley’s family and friends have previously claimed there is “no evidence whatsoever” behind this.
Officers are searching the River Wyre, with the help of Mr Faulding’s company Specialist Group International (SGI), who joined the search for Ms Bulley on Monday.
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However, his team, equipped with a £55,000 side-scan sonar able to pick up objects underwater, have not been able to find any trace of Ms Bulley.
On Wednesday, he told reporters that he believes it is “unlikely” that she has been swept out to sea, adding: “My personal view is that I think it is a long way to go in a tidal river.”
It comes as Ms Bulley’s partner visited the place where police believe she fell into the River Wyre.
Paul Ansell spent 10 minutes on Wednesday along the riverbank near the bench where the 45-year-old’s phone was found, still connected to a work Teams call.
Paul Ansell (centre in sunglasses) shakes hands with Peter Faulding
The lead and harness for Willow, her springer spaniel dog, were found on or close to the bench.
Mr Ansell spoke with Mr Faulding at the scene, and he appeared to take him through aspects of his search, which is now into its third day.
Police divers have also been conducting searches on sections of the river close to the bench.
Mr Ansell was accompanied by a police officer and Emma White, a family friend of Ms Bulley.
Two police dinghies with divers were seen setting off from the riverbank and going upstream to continue the search.
Earlier this week, in a statement released through Lancashire Police, Mr Ansell said their girls “miss their mummy desperately” and “need her back”.
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Paul Ansell’s voicenote: ‘We need her back’
In a voicenote sent to Sky News, Mr Ansell added: “We have to find her safe and well. I can’t put those girls to bed again tonight with no answers.”
Supt Riley said detectives had looked at “every single” potential suspicion or criminal suggestion that had come in and discounted them.
A private underwater search company has been using sonar equipment on the River Wyre
She spoke after suggestions Ms Bulley’s phone could be a “decoy” and about gaps in CCTV coverage of the area from where she vanished.
Police said it was still a “possibility” she left the area by one path not covered by cameras which is crossed by the main road through the village.
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Police ‘remain fully open to any information’ in search for Ms Bulley
Officers were trying to trace dashcam footage from 700 drivers who passed along the road at the time she disappeared, which was around 9.20am.
Detectives have revealed they are looking at 500 active pieces of information but have not found “anything of note” yet.
The UK has seen its warmest start to May on record as temperatures soared to over 29C in the spring sunshine.
The Met Office said 29.3C (84.7F) had been recorded at Kew Gardens in southwest London, passing the previous 1 May record of 27.4C (81.3F) set in Lossiemouth in 1990.
Thursday was also the warmest day of the year so far, beating the previous high of 26.7C (80F) reached in Wisley, Surrey, on Wednesday.
Follow latest updates: May record broken
The seafront in Southend-on-Sea. Pic: PA
But the heat is not expected to last for the bank holiday weekend, with cooler weather starting to drift in from the north on Friday.
Temperatures are expected to ease by Friday and Saturday, meaning cooler conditions of 14C to 18C across the UK.
Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesman, said: “Temperatures tomorrow will be slightly reduced from what we’ve seen today, possibly 26 or 27 degrees in the far southeast of England through the day tomorrow.”
What has led to the hot spell?
Forecasters said the hot spell has been due to the jet stream remaining stuck north of the country, allowing high pressure to settle.
Last month was also the sunniest April in the UK since records began in 1910, with 47% more sunshine hours than the long-term meteorological average, and the third warmest April on record, according to provisional Met Office figures.
Rainfall was well below average for most of the UK last month, with just 56% of expected totals recorded.
And Tyne and Wear had its second driest April on record, with only 7% of its usual rainfall.
Boy’s body recovered from lake
Meanwhile, the recovery of a 16-year-old boy’s body from a lake in Nottingham prompted emergency services to warn about swimming in lakes and rivers.
Chief Inspector David Mather, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to highlight this case as a reminder of the devastating consequences of entering open water – regardless of whether people do so deliberately or inadvertently.”
A lifeguard at London Fields Lido in east London. Pic: Reuters
The London Fire Brigade said its crews responded to 565 water-related incidents last year and have already attended around 160 in the first quarter of this year, with incidents ranging from rescuing people to animals stranded on lakes and ponds.
‘Water temperatures can be dangerously cold’
Assistant commissioner for prevention and protection Craig Carter said. “Even when the sun is shining, water temperatures can be dangerously cold. Cold water shock can affect anyone, no matter how fit or experienced they are. It can lead to water inhalation, and, in the worst cases, drowning.”
People enjoy their ice creams during in St James’s Park, London. Pic: PA
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) offered similar warnings, advising those planning to swim at a lifeguarded beach to swim between the red and yellow flags.
Fire services warned that the warm weather means there is a “heightened” risk of grass and wildfires which can spread more easily during the dry spell, as firefighters have been battling what they described as a large wildfire in the Peak District.
The RAC also cautioned drivers on the roads, with spokesman Rod Dennis saying breakdowns are expected to “soar”, while the NHS reported searches for hay fever advice had doubled from Monday to Wednesday.
Police have revealed details around the dismissal of the co-instructor in a fatal paddleboarding trip.
Nerys Lloyd was jailed last month for the gross negligence manslaughter of Paul O’Dwyer, 42, Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24, and Nicola Wheatley, 40.
The 39-year-old had also pleaded guilty to one offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The four were part of a stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) tour of the River Cleddau in Pembrokeshire.
They got into difficulty after their paddleboards passed over a weir in the town of Haverfordwest during “extremely hazardous conditions” in October 2021.
Lloyd was the owner and sole director of Salty Dog Co Ltd, the firm which had organised the tour.
(L-R) Nicola Wheatley, Andrea Powell, Paul O’Dwyer and Morgan Rogers. Pics: Family handouts (via South Wales Police)
The defendant, who worked as a firearms officer for South Wales Police, was separately accused of breaching the standards of professional behaviour.
The misconduct hearing took place on 14 January 2022, but the publication of the outcome was postponed.
Now that criminal proceedings have concluded, South Wales Police has published the outcome of the hearing, which details that Lloyd was accused of making a fraudulent insurance claim.
Lloyd was dismissed without notice and placed on the police barred list.
Nerys Lloyd (centre, on crutches) leaving Swansea Crown Court after her plea hearing. Pic: PA
The decision on the outcome, compiled after the hearing, states that Lloyd did not attend it and neither had she submitted a written response to the allegations.
Lloyd made a claim against the South Wales Police Federation group insurance scheme for her vehicle’s repair costs.
The cost of the work to repair the vehicle was somewhere between £16 and £20 but the insurance claim made by Lloyd was for £577.55.
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The report into her dismissal states that, when the matter came to light, she admitted her wrongdoing and immediately apologised.
She was interviewed under caution on 11 October 2021, less than three weeks before the fatal paddleboarding tour.
When interviewed by police, Lloyd said she had made a “massive error of judgement” in relation to the insurance claim and she later repaid the amount in full.
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