A HOME close to where missing mum-of-two Nicola Bulley disappeared almost two weeks ago has been searched by police, friends say.
The 45-year-old was last seen walking her dog Willow along the river at St Michael’s in Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27.
For days, police believed he had fallen into the icy water and drowned, sparking a massive search by specialist divers.
But after no sign of her, officers are now concerned that Nicola may have left the area on a path not covered by CCTV.
Dashcam footage from more than 700 drivers who drove along the road at the time she disappeared is being frantically sought.
And a building near the towpath, where Nicola’s phone and dog were discovered, has reportedly been searched.
It was initially thought to be abandoned or uninhabited, but people close to the family claim it is not.
Nicola’s girlfriend Heather Gibbons. who has been involved in the hunt from the start, said last night: ‘The house has been searched inside and out by police from top to bottom.
“It is not derelict and is owned by a lovely family who have lived in the village for generations and would do anything to help find Nikki.
“The police were never refused entry or told they needed a search warrant.
“It’s not ‘strange’ that they were around when the police/rescue teams turned up – the police had knocked on their door and asked them to be around.”
Another friend, Tilly Ann, added: ‘I have been confirmed that the house has been searched.
“All I want to do is find Nikki.”
The Sun has contacted Lancashire Police for clarification.
An independent rescue team last week said it was scanning the ground, but it’s unclear if anyone ever got inside.
Kev Camplin, who led 25 volunteers from Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue, said The mirror on January 31: “The abandoned house is directly opposite the bench on the other side of the river, over a 10m garden wall.
“We didn’t go into the house, as a volunteer search and rescue team we don’t go into buildings.
“We might go to a barn or something. We leave that to the police.
“While the team was searching the premises the owner was there for some reason and we asked him to come in and he looked around quickly and she wasn’t there.”
POLICE WARNING
Nicola, known as Nikki, was last seen walking her Springer Spaniel at around 9.15am. the day he disappeared.
She had dropped her daughters off at school earlier that morning and then headed to the River Wyre.
There, the mortgage adviser was on a conference call with her phone still connected when she was found on a bench next to her dog’s lead and leash near Garstang Street at 9.35am.
A large and “complex” search operation has been launched along a nine-mile stretch of the tidal river, which is now in its 14th day.
Members of the public have joined the hunt, but police have urged people not to “take the law into their own hands” and risk “frustrating” the search.
Officers warned amateur detectives not to molest witnesses or try to break into vacant or abandoned buildings in the area.
The nature of Nicola’s disappearance has led to wild speculation on social media, said to distress her family and distract detectives.
Supt Sally Riley said: “We will not tolerate online abuse of anyone, including innocent bystanders, family members and friends, local businesses or criminal damage or burglary.
We’re going to take a strong line on this, as you would expect.
“There are some properties along the riverfront that are vacant or derelict.
“While it may be well intentioned for people to think this could be a line of inquiry, I would ask them to stop doing it.
“In some cases it can be a criminal offense if they break in and cause damage or commit a burglary.
“It is not helpful if people, especially if they are from outside the area, take it upon themselves to take the law into their own hands by trying, for example, to break into empty property.”
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