The distraught partner of missing dog walker Nicola Bulley is growing ‘frustrated’ with police over their stalling investigation, it was revealed today.
Engineer Paul Ansell, 44, has urged officers to widen their search and pleaded for answers to key questions but says he has been rebuffed.
He is also said to have been ‘appalled’ after police failed to respond to his request to hold a joint press conference last week.
It comes as fishermen have claimed Lancashire Police only contacted them this week to ask if any anglers were on the River Wyre on January 27 – the day the 45-year-old mother-of-two went missing.
It raises more questions over whether basic steps were missed in the vital first days of the police investigation.
Paul Ansell (right), the distraught partner of missing dog walker Nicola Bulley (left), is growing ‘frustrated’ with police over their stalling investigation, it was revealed today
Mr Ansell, 44, has urged officers to widen their search and pleaded for answers to key questions but says he has been rebuffed. Pictured: St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire , where Ms Bulley vanished on January 27
It comes as fishermen have claimed Lancashire Police only contacted them this week to ask if any anglers were on the River Wyre on January 27. Pictured: The bench where Ms Bulley’s mobile phone was found as well as her dog Willow’s lead
Weeks after the mystery disappearance, police continue to focus almost exclusively on the theory that Ms Bulley fell into the river at St Michael’s on Wyre – but have failed to clearly explain why.
Mr Ansell has repeatedly asked officers to search on land in case she was snatched or there was foul play.
He told forensic expert Peter Faulding, who is supporting the family, of his frustrations.
Mr Faulding told the Mail: ‘He’s got a relationship with the police family liaison officers, but I think he’s struggling to get answers that he wants.
‘He’s got a line of communication with them, but I think there’s a problem.
‘He vented his frustrations to the family liaison officers last week in front of me when I was there. He said ‘Why can’t you go and search buildings in the village?’ ‘They said they can’t because they need a search warrant. He said ‘Well, you could just ask them.’ People would happily let them in, the whole village is behind him.
‘There’s a feeling that there’s just a lack of imagination and willpower. I don’t want to be critical of police, but I’m just giving his thoughts really.’
Police have not held a press conference for seven days and last issued a statement on the case on February 10.
Weeks after the mystery disappearance, police continue to focus almost exclusively on the theory that Ms Bulley fell into the river at St Michael’s on Wyre
The last pictures of Nicola Bulley, 45, were captured on her Ring doorbell on Friday January 27. Her Mercedes is at the top of the photo
Mr Ansell is concerned that the communications strategy may see the search for Ms Bulley (pictured) lose momentum
Mounted police in Knott End-on-Sea are pictured yesterday as they take part in the search for missing Nicola Bulley
Police officers patrol a footpath in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on Sunday as they continue their search for missing woman Nicola Bulley
Police outside Wyreside Farm Park Caravan site yesterday which is near the area where Ms Bulley vanished
Two people are arrested for sending local councillors ‘malicious’ messages about Nicola Bulley search
Two people have been arrested on suspicion of sending malicious communications over the disappearance of Nicola Bulley.
Lancashire Police said it received reports over the weekend of messages being sent to Wyre Council members.
A 49-year-old man from Manchester and a 20-year-old woman from Oldham have been arrested on suspicion of malicious communications offences.
A 49-year-old man, of Manchester, and 20-year-old Oldham woman were arrested today for messages sent to Wyre Council (pictured) members over the weekend, Lancashire Police have confirmed
The man has been bailed pending further inquiries until May 12 while the woman remains in custody.
On Monday, Wyre Council removed councillors’ contact details from its website due to ‘inappropriate emails and phone calls’ about Ms Bulley’s disappearance.
It said it had temporarily removed contact details for ‘parish and town council members’ after Lancashire Police confirmed its investigation.
Mr Ansell is concerned that the communications strategy may see the search for Ms Bulley lose momentum.
Mr Faulding explained: ‘Paul has said it is the media that is keeping this alive. The media is doing a good job at keeping this in the public domain.’
He also revealed that Mr Ansell was left ‘appalled’ after police ignored his requests to compile a joint statement.
‘He suggested that to them and he never even heard back. He wanted someone senior in front of the cameras at the scene, but it never happened.
‘He was absolutely appalled when we never heard back.’
He said: ‘Paul is just lost, really. He’s got no partner, the kids are missing their mum… He’s in pieces. Absolutely in pieces.
‘He just wants to know where Nicola is.’
Police were seen trawling the river again this week and Ms Bulley’s sister Louise Cunningham visited the bench where it is feared Nicola fell in the river.
The force is understood to have contacted anglers yesterday to ask who was allowed to fish on the river on the day of the disappearance.
It raises questions over why they are only looking for witnesses now.
A local fisherman said: ‘The police were abrupt. They were asking about day ticket sales, what stretches of water the local angling club owns, what stretches of water they lease, how many members were fishing that day.
‘It sounds like they are trying to work out if anyone was fishing on the river that day and saw something, but nobody was.’ He said police had contacted fishermen on the first day of the disappearance, but only to ask how deep the water was where she went missing,
The angler stressed that no fishermen were there on January 27, adding: ‘The only people that were on the river that day were dog walkers. I can guarantee you that. ‘
The man, who has been fishing the river for decades, said if Ms Bulley did fall in the water anyone walking along the bank would not have seen her.
He insisted: ‘I hope she hasn’t gone in the river for the sake of the kids, but if she did she would have been dragged under.
‘If a body goes in, it’s going to sink. She had two big coats on, wellies, jeans. A body would stay down and get taken out by undercurrents.’
Nicola Bulley and her partner Paul Ansell were planning on getting married in the near future
Friends and family tied ribbons to a footbridge over the River Wyre on Sunday, including one from partner Paul Ansell following Nicola Bulley’s disappearance
Charlotte Drake, the next-door neighbour and friend of Nicola Bulley, ties a yellow ribbon with a message of hope written on it, to a bridge over the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre today
A yellow ribbon with a message of hope written on it tied to a bridge over the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre today
Flowers, yellow ribbons and heart shaped paper notes adorned with messages of hope and goodwill are tied to the footbridge in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre today
A woman and young boy tie a yellow ribbon bearing a message of hope to a bridge over the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire on Sunday
Officers spoke with anglers following a witness report that there were ‘suspicious’ men in the area when Ms Bulley disappeared.
The alleged witness claimed two men wearing ‘dark clothing’ and ‘hoods or hats’ were seen on the river the day before and morning of Ms Bulley’s disappearance.
He told The Mirror the pair were trying to hide their faces and described their behaviour as ‘strange’.
He noted that the pair were carrying fishing rods, but did not appear to have a bait or tackle box with them.
The tipster, despite reportedly feeling ‘uneasy’ by their presence, only decided to report what he had seen after he learned about Ms Bulley’s case. Police are understood to have taken his statement nine days after she vanished.
But local fishermen allege the ‘suspicious characters’ are not anglers, with one telling the newspaper today: ‘It sounds like they are trying to work out if anyone was fishing on the river that day and saw something, but nobody was.’
He added: ‘The only people that were on the river that day were dog walkers. I can guarantee you that.’
The fisherman claims police contacted their clubs the day after Ms Bulley vanished, but only to ask about the ‘nature of water’ of the River Wyre.
He also argued that if Ms Bulley did fall into the water, people walking alongside the bank would not have been able to see her because the ‘currents would have dragged her under.’
It has also emerged that Mr Ansell has been urging officers to track the Mercedes car keys his partner had on her when she disappeared.
The father of two has even called the German car firm himself to see if ‘they could be tracked’.
Heather Gibbons, a close friend of the family, said: ‘Paul has been clear about Nikki’s keys being missing from the get go.
‘In the local searches he specifically asked people to keep their eyes open for them and even organised for people to go out with metal detectors.
‘One of the first things he did was to contact Mercedes to see if they could be tracked.’
But police have so far refused to disclose if they have managed to track the keys and if this is a reason why they are focussing on the river.
It came as pictures showed Miss Bulley’s sister Louise Cunningham reading messages left for the family on a bridge near where her sibling went missing.
She was then seen going to the bench where her phone and dog were found and where police fear she fell in the river.
Meanwhile, a fisherman with extensive local knowledge of the river said he feared if she fell in she would not be found ‘for months’.
Paul Ansell, right, pictured with his partner Nicola Bulley – who vanished two weeks ago while walking her dog near the River Wyre in Lancashire
A fisherman with extensive local knowledge of the river said he feared if Ms Bulley fell in she would not be found ‘for months’. Pictuerd: A member of the North West Police Underwater Search and Marine Unit, during the search of the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, for Ms Bulley on February 7
A police Search and Rescue team scan the banks of the River Wyre near to Shard Bridge as the search for missing Nicola Bulley continues on February 10, 2023 in Preston, England
He said: ‘I hope she hasn’t gone in the river for the sake of the kids, but if she did she will be taken out to sea sadly.
‘If a body goes in, it’s going to sink. She had two big coats on, wellies, jeans. It will stay down and get taken out by undercurrents.’
The disappearance has sparked wild conspiracy theories that has seen local councillors receive vile abuse.
Wyre Council said it has been forced to remove their contact details following the tirades.
In a statement, Wyre Council leader Michael Vincent said: ‘We appreciate the emotional gravity of the situation; however we will not tolerate any form of abuse of any of our elected members of Wyre Borough Council or any of the town and parish councils within our borders or our staff.’