Nicola Bulley: Paul Ansell 100% convinced she is not in the river

The partner of missing Nicola Bulley is "100 per cent convinced" she did not fall in the river, as detectives say they are keeping an open mind about what happened.

The 45-year-old vanished two weeks ago on a riverside dog walk in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire.

Paul Ansell told Channel 5 the family was going through "unprecedented hell".

Lancashire Police said Ms Bulley "may have" gone into the river but it was examining all "potential scenarios".

Divers have searched the River Wyre and surrounding countryside, but no trace of Ms Bulley has been found.

Focus of the police search on Thursday switched from St Michael's to around 10 miles downstream where the river empties into the sea at Morecambe Bay, with police patrol boats and rescue boats spotted on the river and in the bay.

Referencing the search Mr Ansell said: "Extensive searching, you know, as you're probably aware, has gone on in that river.

"The fact that the divers and underwater rescue team and all that were in that river on the day, and thankfully found absolutely nothing, in the part where you would have to presume is her last known location."

He said: "Personally, I am 100 per cent convinced it's not the river, that's my opinion".

Lancashire Police earlier ruled out third-party involvement and said detectives were treating the case as a missing person inquiry, but added they were "fully open" to new information about her disappearance.

In an update on Friday, a force representative said: "Throughout this investigation we have been keeping an open mind about what might have happened to Nicola, and we continue to look at all the potential scenarios to eliminate them.

"We are reviewing our decisions regularly.

"Based on all the work we have done up to now our belief remains that Nicola may have fallen into the river for some reason, but we are continuing to investigate all possible leads, and this involves viewing CCTV, Dashcam footage and speaking to people who are providing us with information."

Speaking on the Channel 5 programme, Vanished: Where is Nicola Bulley?, Mr Ansell added: "Nikki would never give up on us ever. She wouldn't give up on anybody. And we're not gonna ever give up on her like, we're going to find her.

"There has to be a way to find out what happened, there has to be. You cannot, you cannot walk your dog down a river and just vanish into thin air.

"Something happened that day, something."

Ms Bulley had dropped her two daughters, aged six and nine, off at school and then gone on her usual dog walk alongside the river on 27 January.

Her phone, still connected to a Teams call, was found on a bench on a steep riverbank overlooking the water, along with the dog lead and harness on the ground.

Police also addressed concerns over a red van that had been reported to them.

The force said: "We would like to stress that while this has been reported to us and we are making efforts to identify the owner at this time there is nothing to suggest this was anything other than one of many hundreds of vehicles in the area that morning."

Earlier, one of Ms Bulley's friends said the continuing search without any answers was "almost like torture.

Emma White had joined others in St Michael's on Wyre holding placards by the main road to jog people's memories.

"We just need Nikki home for her two beautiful girls who want their mummy," she said.

Residents have had to bring in private security following an increase in people coming to the village.

It comes after Lancashire Police issued two dispersal notices on Thursday to break up groups, including amateur investigators and people filming police activity around the area where Ms Bulley disappeared.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]