Nicola Bulley drowned after accidentally falling into cold water, an inquest has concluded.

The 45-year-old went missing during a dog walk along the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire after dropping her two daughters, aged six and nine, off at school on January 27.

Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, concluded the inquest into the death of Nicola Bulley at County Hall, Preston, on Tuesday.

He expressed his condolences to Nicola Bulley's family who were present throughout the hearing.

Ms Bulley’s death was recorded by Dr James Adeley as accidental as she fell into the river and suffered “cold water shock” and drowned, ruling out suicide.

Full statement as coroner concludes inquest

Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, said: “Excluding a couple of comments over the Christmas period when she was acting out of character and were treated as throw away comments, there was no indication of any intention to take her own life.

“Her behaviour in the week before her death was back to normal, she had restarted her HRT therapy, stopped drinking some time before, was making plans for play dates and spa days with several people, was becoming increasingly successful at her new career as a mortgage broker and behaved entirely normally during her parent's visit of the night before and with Paul Ansell on the morning of her death.

“The circumstances found after her death would also be extremely unusual for suicide where Nikki left Willow, a dog to who she was devoted and was described as a third child, alone on the river bank.

“Nikki would also had to have had sufficient knowledge of cold water shock to realise as to how rapidly a death may occur as otherwise she may be spotted and saved; that she chose to do so at the main intersection of paths where she could be interrupted at any point would be unusual and to leave her car keys in her pocket with the car in the school playground where her children, to whom she was devoted, would see it would be cruel.

“For these and many other reasons I discount a conclusion of suicide as there is no evidence to support this conclusion.

“There was also no natural disease that contributed to Nikki’s death. The remaining conclusion is that of accidental death.”

Sophie Cartwright KC, the lawyer representing Ms Bulley’s family, earlier said in final submissions to the coroner that the evidence clearly pointed to her going into the River Wyre accidentally and her drowning quickly in the cold water.

The mother of two’s mobile phone was connected to a Teams call and was found on a bench near the River Wyre.

Nicola Bulley’s body was found in the river on February 19 and she was identified by her dental records.

Before her death, Ms Bulley had been making plans including a spa day with her sister Louise Cunningham.

She cried at the inquest as she said: “I literally confirmed it was booked but she didn’t pick up the message.”