"I got a call from the school regarding somebody who had found Willow, and Nikki’s phone and the dog lead and harness on the bench,” Mr Ansell, who then called the police, said.
"Mr Ansell said he or Nicola would regularly drop the children off, aged six and nine, at the local primary school, before taking their Springer spaniel for a walk along the river nearby.
But after dropping the children off at school on Friday morning he then got a call alerting him something was amiss.
Mr Ansell said: “I rang police, I got a call from the school regarding somebody who had found Willow and Nikki’s phone and the dog lead and harness on the bench.
“We take the kids to school and take the dog down there, either myself or Nikki, nearly every day.”
The mortgage advisor was last seen walking the family dog Willow at the footpath of a river at 9.15am on Friday off Garstang Road in St Michael’s on Wyre in Lancashire
The mortgage advisor was last seen walking the family dog Willow at the footpath of a river at 9.15am on Friday off Garstang Road in St Michael’s on Wyre in Lancashire
It is understood Nicola had dropped her two young children off at St Michael's-on-Wyre Church of England Primary School, and leaving her car parked nearby, went on the walk with spaniel Willow - something she is said to do regularly. He said they scoured a long stretch of the river, including wooded areas, water margins and the grounds of a large unoccupied country house.
Speaking to the Mirror, he said: "The abandoned house is right opposite the bench on the other side of the river, over a 10ft garden wall. It’s quite posh.
"We didn’t go into the house, as a volunteer search and rescue team we don’t actually go into buildings. We might go into a barn or something. We leave that to the police.
An old country house opposite where missing mum Nicola Bulley's phone was found has been searched by its owner, according to the leader of a search and rescue team
Less than two hours after the appeal was issued, cops said the man — described as 6ft, well-built and walking a small white fluffy dog on a lead — had come forward and offered assistance. A friend who runs a local caravan park raised the alarm when they spotted the family’s brown springer spaniel Willow running free.
The pet was near to a bench under a tree, which has a sign warning of deep water nailed to it.
The friend contacted the school and staff called engineer Paul, who dialled 999. Cops arrived at the scene around 10.30am and found Nicola’s mobile phone on the bench with her work call still active, along with Willow’s leash.
THE two young daughters of a missing woman broke down in tears as their distraught dad told them: “Mummy’s lost.” Nicola Bulley, 45, vanished on Friday morning while walking her dog. Nicola’s partn…
Kev Camplin, of Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue, jumped to action in the hours after she disappeared, leading a team of 25 trained volunteers to search the immediate vicinity that same day.
He told The Mirror: 'The abandoned house is right opposite the bench on the other side of the river, over a 10ft garden wall. It's quite posh.
We didn't go into the house, as a volunteer search and rescue team we don't actually go into buildings. We might go into a barn or something. We leave that to the police.
'While the team was searching the grounds, the owner was there for some reason, and we asked him to go in and he had a quick look around and she wasn't there.'
""The river does get quite deep in some places, and the track is popular with walkers. People often park up on the Grapes pub car park and go for a walk."
"A large number of people from the local community have organised searches of the area. However, police have warned residents to 'stay safe' because the 'river and its banks are extremely dangerous' and present a 'genuine risk to the public'."
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.