Nicola Bulley's partner visits scene where her phone was found

On Wednesday, Paul Ansell spent 10 minutes on the riverbank near the bench where Ms Bulley’s phone was found, still connected to a work Teams call.

She vanished after dropping her daughters off at school and going on her usual dog walk on January 27.

He spoke with Peter Faulding, the underwater search expert called in by the family to help with the search.

Mr Faulding appeared to be taking him through aspects of his search, now on its third day.

The search from earlier this week (Image: Agency)

Police divers have also been conducting searches on sections of the river close to the bench.

Mr Ansell was accompanied by a police officer and Emma White, a family friend of Ms Bulley, 45.

Two police dinghies with divers were seen setting off from the riverbank and going upstream to continue the search.

On Tuesday, Superintendent Sally Riley, of Lancashire Police, said detectives had looked at “every single” potential suspicion or criminal suggestion that had come in and discounted them.

She spoke after suggestions Ms Bulley’s phone could be a “decoy” and questions were raised about gaps in CCTV coverage of the area where she vanished from.

The lead and harness for Willow, her springer spaniel dog, were also left on or close to the bench.

Police said it was still a “possibility” she left the area by one path not covered by cameras which is crossed by the main road through the village, and officers were trying to trace dashcam footage from 700 drivers who passed along the road at the time she disappeared, around 9.20am.

Mr Faulding, leader of underwater search experts Specialist Group International (SGI), has said if his team does not find Ms Bulley in the water using his sonar equipment, then he believes she has not been in the river and raised “third party” involvement in the disappearance.

But Ms Riley told reporters at a press conference in the village, that Mr Faulding is not included in “all the investigation detail”.