Missing mother Nicola Bulley may have been weighed down by the heavy clothing she was wearing on the day she vanished after falling into the river while trying to collect a tennis ball for her dog, police have suggested.
And outdoor swimming expert Camilla Golledge told MailOnline the shock of the cold water could also limit a person’s ability to swim to safety.
The mother-of-two, 45, was last seen wearing an ankle-length black quilted gilet jacket, a black Engelbert Strauss waist-length coat, tight-fitting jeans and green wellies.
Missing mother Nicola Bulley may have been weighed down by the heavy clothing she was wearing on the day she vanished after falling into the river while trying to collect a tennis ball for her dog, police have suggested.
And outdoor swimming expert Camilla Golledge told MailOnline the shock of the cold water could also limit a person’s ability to swim to safety.
The mother-of-two, 45, was last seen wearing an ankle-length black quilted gilet jacket, a black Engelbert Strauss waist-length coat, tight-fitting jeans and green wellies.
She had a pale blue Fitbit strapped to her wrist as she took her Spaniel, Willow, on a brisk walk through River Wyre – a route she took often after dropping her two daughters to school nearby.
Today, police revealed they suspect Ms Bulley likely fell into the 15ft-deep river last Friday morning.
peaking to MailOnline following a press conference in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire Police Superintendent Sally Riley said officers were looking at all scenarios.
But she admitted it was ‘possible’ that Ms Bulley fell into the River Wyre while attempting to retrieve a tennis ball for her dog close to the water’s edge.
Ms Bulley posted numerous images of herself exercising along the same stretch of the River Wyre to where she was last seen last on the running tracking app Strava.
In a couple of the photos Willow is seen playing with the ball.
Superintendent Riley said: ‘I’m not aware of a dog ball being retrieved but it’s possible that a ball could have rolled down the steep bank close to the edge of the water and Ms Bulley was bending down to pick it up.
‘What she was wearing could also be a factor.
‘I don’t wish to speculate but the facts are that she was wearing a quilted, ankle-length gilet, which is a big coat, and underneath that there was another coat and then under that coat more clothing.
‘She was also wearing ankle-length wellingtons. One would assume they fill with water when someone enters a river so all of that clothing is heavy, particularly on someone who is of slight build and only 5 foot three.’
The Kent-based instructor said: ‘People are experiencing cold water shock at the moment because the water is so cold… which means that your natural response if to take a big gasp of air, meaning water will fill your lungs.
‘Everybody would experience it unless you are an experienced outdoor swimmer.
‘It has less to do with the clothes. They certainly won’t help.’
She said Ms Bulley may have been unable to call for help, especially because her clothes and wellies would have weighed her down.
‘Most people suffering from cold water shock or drowning in open water are people that did not mean to be there,’ Ms Golledge said.
‘What you need to do is coach your breathing, get in slowly, rather than falling or jumping in.
‘Even I as an experienced open water swimmer, I get in slowly and I have to coach my breathing. My body does feel shock with that unnatural breath in.’
Supt Riley said there were no reports of anyone in distress, no shouting or splashing, and no footprints were found on the bank.
And while police are working to the theory that Ms Bulley somehow came to be in the water, they’re still exploring other avenues to rule out any other scenario.
Supt Riley told the Lancashire Post: ‘Several exits of the riverside area have CCTV covering them or exits are locked and therefore couldn’t have been passed through by Nicola.
‘There’s only a very small area onto Garstang Lane toward the A5/A6 which is not covered by CCTV and that’s why we’re appealing today for dashcam footage or for people who may have been walking on Garstang Lane or driving in the area to come forward if they can.’