The partner of missing woman Nicola Bulley has expressed his belief that her disappearance has to do with 'something in the village' as investigators continue their search.
Bulley went missing on 27 January after dropping her children off at school, when she took her dog for a walk by the River Wyre in Lancashire.
Some of her belongings were later found near the river, with police saying she may have fallen into the water.
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As the search continues, more information about Bulley's disappearance was detailed in a Channel 5 programme titled Vanished: Where is Nicola Bulley?, which aired last night (10 February).
The programme featured an interview with Bulley's partner, Paul Ansell, who urged anyone who may have information about Bulley's disappearance to come forward.
Ansell said he is '100 percent' sure Bulley didn't fall into the river, saying the path was 'about as well known a walk to us as you could possibly do'.
"On the very odd occasion when you see somebody that you don't know, they stand out like a sore thumb," he said.
Ansell continued: "So whatever has happened, in my eyes, has to be somebody who knows the local area. And the fact that nothing's been seen or heard, I just truly believe that it's something in the village."
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Ansell's claims come in contradiction to those made by the police, who still believe she fell into the river.
In a press conference regarding Bulley's case, Supt Sally Riley explained: "The river is a complex area to search. It's not a still water, it's a fast-flowing moving water that is tidal in parts, and this makes it particularly complex.
"We have already discounted particular areas of the river but as they are tidal we have re-searched them to ensure that nothing has been washed back into those searched areas."
Riley said police have received thousands of pieces of information from the public, and noted that a team of 40 detectives are working on the case.
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"This is normal in a missing person inquiry and does not indicate that there is any suspicious element to this story," she said.
Lancashire Police officers have been cooperating with the coastguard, fire service and underwater search experts Specialist Group International to search the river and riverbank, with teams using specialist equipment including sonar, pole cameras and underwater drones to try and find evidence related to the case.
As the search for Bulley continues, Ansell vowed to 'never let go', saying: "Nikki would never give up on us ever. She wouldn't give up on anybody. And we're not going to ever give up on her, we're going to find her."
Topics: UK News, TV and Film
Emily Brown