Nicola Bulley: coroner warns against speculation about new police river searches

A coroner investigating the death of mother-of-two Nicola Bulley has warned against speculation following police searches of a river.

The 45-year-old vanished while walking her dog along the River Wyre after dropping her daughters, aged six and nine, at school, sparking a huge search operation and intense media and public interest. Her body was found in the river 23 days after she went missing, around a mile farther downstream from the bench on 19 February.

A police diving team was recently seen in the water not far from a weir and downstream from a bench where police believe Ms Bulley, 45, went into the water in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on 27 January. The divers were spotted in the River Wyre on 4 April and a brief clip was uploaded to YouTube, prompting speculation about the activity on social media.

Dr James Adeley, HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire, said: “Speculation as to the role and purpose of officers acting on my instructions is unhelpful in the resolution of this inquest.” A Lancashire police spokesman added: “There has been misinformed speculation over the past few days relating to police activity in the River Wyre.

“As previously stated, police divers were acting under instruction of HM Senior Coroner and had been asked to assess the riverbanks in the vicinity of where Nicola Bulley went missing. They had not been tasked either to perform any further searches within the river or along the banks or to locate any articles.

“This activity is to assist with the coronial process.” An inquest into Ms Bulley’s death is to be held on 26 June.