Missing Nicola Bulley may have been weighed down by her heavy clothing in river, police say

Missing mother Nicola Bulley may have been weighed down by the heavy clothing she was wearing on the day she vanished after falling into the river while trying to collect a tennis ball for her dog, police have suggested.

And outdoor swimming expert Camilla Golledge told MailOnline the shock of the cold water could also limit a person’s ability to swim to safety.

The mother-of-two, 45, was last seen wearing an ankle-length black quilted gilet jacket, a black Engelbert Strauss waist-length coat, tight-fitting jeans and green wellies.

She had a pale blue Fitbit strapped to her wrist as she took her Spaniel, Willow, on a brisk walk through River Wyre – a route she took often after dropping her two daughters to school nearby.

Today, police revealed they suspect Ms Bulley likely fell into the 15ft-deep river last Friday morning.  

Speaking to MailOnline following a press conference in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire Police Superintendent Sally Riley said officers were looking at all scenarios.

But she admitted it was ‘possible’ that Ms Bulley fell into the River Wyre while attempting to retrieve a tennis ball for her dog close to the water’s edge.

Ms Bulley posted numerous images of herself exercising along the same stretch of the River Wyre to where she was last seen last on the running tracking app Strava.

In a couple of the photos Willow is seen playing with the ball.

Superintendent Riley said: ‘I’m not aware of a dog ball being retrieved but it’s possible that a ball could have rolled down the steep bank close to the edge of the water and Ms Bulley was bending down to pick it up.

‘What she was wearing could also be a factor.

‘I don’t wish to speculate but the facts are that she was wearing a quilted, ankle-length gilet, which is a big coat, and underneath that there was another coat and then under that coat more clothing.

‘She was also wearing ankle-length wellingtons. One would assume they fill with water when someone enters a river so all of that clothing is heavy, particularly on someone who is of slight build and only 5 foot three.’

Outdoor swimming expert Camilla Golledge said there are other factors which could be involved, too.

The Kent-based instructor said: ‘People are experiencing cold water shock at the moment because the water is so cold… which means that your natural response if to take a big gasp of air, meaning water will fill your lungs.

‘Everybody would experience it unless you are an experienced outdoor swimmer.

‘It has less to do with the clothes. They certainly won’t help.’

She said Ms Bulley may have been unable to call for help, especially because her clothes and wellies would have weighed her down.

‘Most people suffering from cold water shock or drowning in open water are people that did not mean to be there,’ Ms Golledge said.

‘What you need to do is coach your breathing, get in slowly, rather than falling or jumping in.

‘Even I as an experienced open water swimmer, I get in slowly and I have to coach my breathing. My body does feel shock with that unnatural breath in.’

Supt Riley said there were no reports of anyone in distress, no shouting or splashing, and no footprints were found on the bank.

Specialist police officers have scanned the section of the River Wyre close to the bench where her mobile phone was recovered later in the morning last Friday.

The spot is 300metres away from a weir, which divides the river between tidal and non-tidal.

Nothing of note had been found, the officer said, but she added that a ‘large mass’ could go over that weir downstream, which would present ‘more complexities and challenges’ as it flows out to the coast nine miles away at Fleetwood.

Officers have scoured the river bed with modern underwater drones, which are similar to mini submarines equipped with cameras operated by someone on land or on a boat.

Police diving teams will continue to comb the river bed of the Wyre in the area close to the bench over the weekend, while the Costguard and the RNLI will continue checking the tidal stretch out to Fleetwood and Morecombe Bay.

Author and former soldier Chris Ryan, who goes by ChrisRyanMM and was a member of the British Army’s elite SAS squadron for a decade, also highlighted the struggles Nicola would have faced if she did fall in the water.

‘It is an awful case and my heart goes out to her and her family. During my SAS service I was part of three missions involving river falls and sadly, people can underestimate the power of water along with the dangers of an unstable riverbank,’ he told MailOnline.

‘We all take these walks and on any given day they go by without incident. Collapses aren’t always predictable, so the surprise will often dictate the way in which a person enters the water, for example head first. Then consider several other factors like shock, undercurrents, debris and clothing.

‘A grown adult can be swept away in as little as 17 inches of fast flowing water. Then consider a swollen and fast flowing river with a lot of loose debris. If a person falls into a river, their clothes will absorb the water and that extra weight would make swimming or staying above the surface very difficult.’

He added: ‘I really hope this young woman is found soon, I walk my dog along a river so know too well that at first glance it’s a lovely place to be.’

Earlier, Supt Riley said detectives are ‘as sure as we can be’ that the missing mother-of-two didn’t leave the riverbank in St Michael’s on Wyre and ‘this is not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person’.

Supt Riley said they are trying to piece together ‘a ten minute window where we can’t account for her movements’ – from when she was last seen at 9.10am last Friday and when her phone was put down on a bench at 9.20am.

She said: ‘We believe she remained in the riverside area. Our working hypothesis is that she has sadly fallen into the river for some reason. There is no evidence whatsoever that there is anything suspicious about her disappearance or any third-party involvement in her going missing’, adding ‘speculation otherwise is distressing for Nicky’s family.

Police also revealed today: 

• Detectives believe that Nicola has fallen in the river in a ten minute window between her last sighting and her phone being put down on a bench;
• Officers have said they have checked all available CCTV and that Nicola did not leave the area. They are also searching a 10-mile stretch of water to the Irish Sea;
• Lancashire Police warned people to be careful on or around the river in the dark, especially anyone trying to help in the search at night;
• A sealed off car park near the area where Ms Bulley was last seen is unrelated to the investigation

Ms Bulley’s heartbroken boyfriend spoke for the first time today, saying: ‘It’s like she’s vanished into thin air – it’s insane’. 

Paul Ansell, an engineer, said he is focusing on staying strong for their two daughters, who have been asking what has happened to their mother a week on after she disappeared on a dog walk. 

 Speaking near the scene where Ms Bulley was last seen by the River Wyre in Lancashire, he told broadcasters: ‘My whole focus is my two girls, just staying as strong as I can for them.

‘I’m scared that if I put focus into anything else it’s going to take my focus off that. Just hoping to goodness that anything comes out from the interview yesterday no matter how tiny.’ 

After thanking the local community for its ‘incredible’ support, he added: ‘I just can’t believe we’re a week on and it seems like we’re no further on. 

‘It just seems absolutely impossible. Like a dream. I cannot get my head around it. Right now it’s like she’s vanished into thin air, it’s insane.’ 

Mr Ansell said he ‘cannot get his head around’ her disappearance. He said: ‘Every single scenario comes to a brick wall. Every single one of them.

‘All we are doing is sitting there going round and round and round through each scenario.’

He added he was focusing on looking after their two daughters and ‘didn’t want to think’ about how he was coping.

Yesterday, police issued a public appeal for a woman seen in CCTV wearing a red coat on the River Wyre around the time Ms Bulley vanished last Friday morning. 

MailOnline earlier revealed the 67-year-old woman, Christine Bowman, told police she did not see Ms Bulley during her walk with her own dog Snowflake.

Ms Bowman said she was baffled by the appeal to track her down because she had already spoken to officers on the day Ms Bulley disappeared – and she ‘doesn’t know anything’.

The local resident – who police hoped could provide key pieces of information in the search for Ms Bulley – does not travel as far as the bench where the missing mother’s phone and dog were found. 

‘The security camera footage that she was caught on was taken from the caravan park next to the towpath.

‘That’s as far as she goes, she doesn’t walk her dog further along the footpath than that point.’

It’s a devastating blow for Ms Bulley’s family, who have been waiting with bated breath for updates in the investigation.

In the appeal to track down the woman yesterday, a spokesman for Lancashire Police said: ‘She is described as wearing a red and white coat with a fur hood, light-coloured trousers and a light bobble hat.

‘She was walking a small, white dog. The woman was seen on CCTV at around 8.48am on Allotment Lane, close to where Nicola was last seen and was also seen near to the gate at the end of Allotment Lane.’

However a friend said: ‘Their paths did not cross, she has no information on where Nicola could be sadly.’ 

As the investigation extends into an eighth day, a source from St Michael’s Angling Association said the stretch of river where Ms Bulley vanished is notorious and ‘very dangerous’, with a depth of about 15ft. 

‘The combination of the depth and how cold it is at this time of year makes it very dangerous,’ he told The Times.

‘I certainly would not want to fall in there and I’m a very strong swimmer.’ Specialist police divers have been painstakingly searching the riverbed for clues.