It comes just hours after police admitted Nicola may have left the area when she went missing while on a dog walk – as her partner visited the location where she was last seen 12 days ago. While police continue to believe she fell into the River Wyre, Lancashire Police Superintendent Sally Riley said it was still a ‘possibility’ that the 45-year-old left the area via a path not covered by CCTV cameras – but added that ‘every single’ suspicion or criminal suggestion had so far been dismissed.

The path in question is crossed by the main road through the village of St. Michael’s on Wyre, and officers are scrambling to find dashcam footage from 700 drivers who passed along the route around 9.20 a.m. on January 27. If his team does not find Nicola in the water using sonar equipment, Paul Faulding, leader of underwater search experts Specialist Group International (SGI), believes she has not been in the river and has raised the possibility of ‘third party’ involvement in her disappearance.