The friend of missing woman Nicola Bulley has said the village where she disappeared from has started to feel like a "tourist spot" as an influx of visitors flock to the search area. This comes as the leader of a local council has urged people to stay away from the scene amid concerns the area is becoming a "morbid tourist destination".
The mortgage adviser was last seen while walking her dog, Willow, on Friday, January 27, in the Lancashire village of St Michaels on Wyre. Nicola - known as Nikki - left her daughters aged six and nine at school before heading to the towpath overlooking the River Wyre. She had been on a work conference call and her phone was still logged into that call when it was discovered on a bench along the towpath. Her microphone and camera had been turned off for the call.
Several underwater searches have been carried out in the river next to the bench where her phone was found, but no traces of Nicola have been found. Willow was also found near the bench, but was dry so investigators don't think she had been in the water.
Read more: Nicola Bulley search live updates as hunt for missing mum enters day 12
As the search enters its 12th day, family friends of Nicola as well as locals have urged people not to visit the spot she disappeared from. Speaking to the BBC, Heather Gibbons Nicola's friend said that while the family understand it is "human nature" for people to be interested in the case, she said some people had been turning up to "do personal social media things".
Interest in the case has also been obvious online with people speculating about the disappearance. Lancashire Police have been forced to address the "harmful speculation" and "online abuse" directed at some of Nicola's family.
Ms Gibbons continued: "The truth is if we look at it factually, no-one knows until we have some evidence. I think it's incredibly hard, but up to a certain level, we understand it's human nature. It's natural for everyone to have speculation, because the truth is, nothing is making sense.
"We have noticed it does feel like some people have come to maybe use it as more like a tourist spot, to do their own personal social media things which in some ways we see and understand but it is hard, there's a lot of people around as it is."
Michael Vincent, leader of Wyre Council, also told the BBC he did not want the area to become a "morbid tourist destination", adding: "The people of Wyre are all genuinely shocked by what's happened, it's rare for Wyre to be in the middle of the news nationwide."
Ms Gibbon's message comes as a local parish council chairman called for respect after it was reported that people had travelled to 'take selfies' on the bench where the missing woman's phone was found.
Chairman of St Michael’s Parish Council, Giles Phillips, condemned those taking ghoulish selfies and said 'it is not a spectator sport', reports The Manchester Evening News.
Giles said in recent days the village has seen an increase in families visiting the riverside to watch the search operation. He said: "It would be helpful if people could let the authorities do their jobs.
"We don’t want anyone to hinder the investigation. This is not a spectator sport. Most of the area is private land - the public access is very minimal and can’t absorb the numbers of people who are coming every day. They aren’t searching for somebody - they are watching someone else search for somebody. We would rather people stayed home or took a day trip to the Lake District."
In a police update yesterday, Tesday, February 7, Lancashire Police said they still believed Ms Bulley fell in the river, but remained "fully open-minded to any information that may indicate where Nicola is or what happened to her".
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Supt Sally Riley said: "We would ask that people in the wider community, particularly on social media and online, do not speculate as to what may have happened to Nicola.
"We will not tolerate online abuse of anyone, including innocent witnesses, members of the family and friends, of local businesses, or of criminal damage or burglary."
"We would ask that people in the wider community, particularly on social media and online, do not speculate as to what may have happened to Nicola."
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