Nicola Bulley: Missing woman’s daughters ‘cried their eyes out’ when told ‘mummy’s lost’

Police are continuing to search for a mother of two young girls left “heartbroken” when she vanished on a dog walk in rural Lancashire.

Nicola Bulley, 45, originally from Essex, was exercising the family’s spaniel Willow after dropping her daughters, aged nine and six, at school last Friday morning.

Paul Ansell, 44, the mortgage adviser’s partner of 12 years, tried to gently break the news to them that “mummy is lost” but they burst into tears.

Her mobile phone - still connected to a work conference call - was found on a bench near to where she was last seen on a towpath by the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre.

Mr Ansell’s father David, 72, said: “It’s a terrible situation, we just hope and pray that something good comes out of it.

“The children have been told, ‘Mummy’s missing’, but they haven’t been told the full details.

“When they were told, they absolutely cried their eyes out.”

Ms Bulley’s mother Dorothy, 72, added to The Sun: “It’s just awful. Paul had to tell the girls what was going on. He just told them, ‘Mummy’s lost’. It’s heartbreaking.”

Lancashire Police stressed they don’t believe anyone else was involved in her disappearance and have no evidence she came to harm.

Ms Bulley has lived in Lancashire for 25 years but is originally from near Chelmsford and has an Essex accent.

Detectives appealed for sightings or dashcam footage of Ms Bulley, who is described as white, 5ft 3in, with light brown shoulder-length hair.

At the time of her disappearance she was wearing a long black gilet jacket with black jeans and olive green ankle wellington boots.

Superintendent Sally Riley said: “We remain extremely concerned for Nicola and we continue to do everything we can to try and find her and to provide some answers for her family, who are obviously beside themselves with worry.”

Anyone who has seen Ms Bulley, or has information about where she might be, is asked to call 101, quoting log 565 of January 30, or call 999 if they have an immediate sighting.