Nicola Bulley: Police search underneath Shard bridge 7 miles from where dog walker vanished

The focus of the police search operation has now shifted from where Nicola vanished to further downstream, towards where the River Wyre empties into the Irish Sea at Morecambe Bay.

Officers have confirmed they are focusing on the mouth of the river, with Lancashire Police suggesting that finding her in the open sea is becoming ‘more of a possibility’.

The bridge is about halfway to the estuary from the village. Police have said their "main working hypothesis" was that she fell in a river but a body has not yet been found. However, they insist they are keeping an open mind.

It has now been two weeks since the mum-of-two disappeared on the morning of Friday, January 27, but police are yet to find any trace of her despite an extensive search operation.

On Thursday (February 8), underwater search expert Peter Faulding called off his team’s search efforts after three days, saying he was unable to find any evidence that Nicola was in the water.