A search group looking for Nicola Bulley were allegedly 'stopped by police' from investigating an abandoned house. The group were reportedly issued a dispersal order from officials last night as they looked for the missing mum.
These reports came after officials warned members of the public not to "take the law into their own hands" nor direct online abuse at people connected to the investigation. Nicola vanished on January 27 after dropping off her two children at school in Lancashire, before taking family dog Willow for a walk on a nearby trail.
Lancashire Constabulary says it "will not tolerate" people committing criminal offences by breaking into empty or derelict riverside properties to try to locate the missing mother-of-two. Speaking from the scene at the River Wyre last night, TalkTV's Oliver Whitfield-Miocic said: "The police here have just had to issue a dispersal order to a group of men believed to have travelled down from the Liverpool area.
"They wanted to go and search this abandoned house on the other side of the river where police believe Nicola Bulley had accidentally fallen in. All of this despite the police already having searched that area and, only 24 hours ago, the Superintendent in charge of this investigation asking people not to take the law into their own hands."
In a press conference on Tuesday, Superintendent Sally Riley said: "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 will be taking a strong line on that, as you would expect."
Ms Riley also told reporters: "There are some properties along the riverside which are empty or derelict. Whilst it may be well intentioned that people think that that could be a line of inquiry, I would ask them to desist from doing that.
"In some cases it may be criminal if they are breaking in and causing damage or committing a burglary."
She said officers have searched derelict riverside properties with the permission of owners. Ms Riley stated: "Because there is no criminal element yet identified, and we don't expect there to be in this inquiry, then we're not starting to go into houses because that's not where the inquiry is leading us.
Ms Riley also urged the public to avoid "distressing" speculation about what might have happened to Ms Bulley. She added:"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.
"This is particularly hurtful to her family, to her children, to her partner Paul, to her parents, her sister and her friends because it is not helpful to them, it is distressing and it is distracting for the police inquiry. Nor is it helpful if people, particularly if they have come from outside of the area, take it upon themselves to take the law into their own hands by trying to, for example, break into empty property.
"They may mean well, they may want to help. But they can help in thinking back if they were in the area to what information they may have of relevance to the police and holding the family in their thoughts."
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