Nicola Bulley: St Michael's residents feel the strain two weeks on from the disappearance of the mum-of-two

With no news on the mum-of-two's whereabouts and with the search teams having left the immediate area where she was last seen, the impact of the world's media attention and unanswered questions are taking their toll.

What's it like in St Michael's?

There was a sense of quiet in the village yesterday, following the departure of Peter Faulding and his underwater search experts Specialist Group International (SGI).

Missing posters still remain at every turn, but very few people were walking, and the area around St Michael's church and the route Nicola took on January 27 were populated only with journalists and photographers.

Police divers have moved further downstream towards Morecambe Bay, and gone is the enormous police presence from days ago.

Worry

Mr Faulding has said if his team did not find Nicola in the water, then he believes she has not been in the river and raised “third party” involvement in the disappearance.

The speculation is worrying residents, with one man dog-walking along the riverside with his family asking "Would you want your wife walking on her own?"

He added: "It's traumatic, all of it.

"We've come out today, but as a group. I would worry about my wife coming out on her own. We have no idea what's happened to Nicola, there's no trace, and it feels like the place is sullied.

"Are we safe coming for a picnic here? Are women safe to go walking anywhere in Lancashire on their own?"

He added: "The world's press was here on Wednesday, all eyes were on here, but now there's emptiness. It's eerie.

"Now I think people want to know about the process - what happens next? Where is this going?

"There's lots of exits off these fields and if she's not in the river, then what next? Why didn't the police cordon off the area, make it a crime scene?"

Do not take the law into your own hands – police

Locals have complained about people from outside the area visiting to take selfies sitting on the bench and recording TikTok videos from the scene.

The police have warned they “will not tolerate” people committing criminal offences by breaking into empty or derelict riverside properties.

The Post spoke to a delivery driver from Manchester, who had spent three days in St Michael's, trawling the area for clues.

The man, who didn't want to be named, said: "I was driving through here for work last week and I noticed the posters.

"I didn't know much about it, so I thought I'd come back and see for myself what was going on.

"I don't usually let things get in my head, but it's weird, I’ve felt compelled to come here.

"My girlfriend is mad at me and people have questioned why I'm doing it, but I just needed to see it for myself.

"It’s smaller than it looks online. I've been looking through undergrowth, trying to think outside the box, but I haven't seen anything.

"Everywhere I've walked though, there's been other people's footprints. It seems so odd that it's not been closed off by the police."

Superintendent Sally Riley, who is leading the investigation, said officers have searched derelict riverside properties with the permission of owners.

“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,” she added.