Two people have been arrested on suspicion of sending malicious communications to local councillors over the disappearance of Nicola Bulley, police have said.
Lancashire police received reports over the weekend of messages being sent to Wyre council members. A 49-year-old man from Manchester and a 20-year-old woman from Oldham have been arrested on suspicion of malicious communications offences.
The man has been bailed pending further inquiries until 12 May while the woman remains in custody.
On Monday, Wyre council removed councillors’ contact details from its website due to what it called “inappropriate emails and phone calls” about Bulley, who disappeared in a field next to the river in St Michaels on Wyre on 27 January.
The local authority said it had temporarily removed contact details for parish and town council members after Lancashire police confirmed its investigation.
The Wyre council leader, Michael Vincent, said: “We appreciate the emotional gravity of the situation; however we will not tolerate any form of abuse of any of our elected members of Wyre borough council or any of the town and parish councils within our borders or our staff.
“The community has shown great strength and resilience during the investigation, and we urge everyone to continue to show compassion and empathy.
“It is a shame that we have had to take this step at such a difficult time and appropriate steps are being taken to ensure that residents are still able to contact their elected representatives.”
A Lancashire police spokesperson said: “We received reports at the weekend of a number of malicious messages having been sent to Wyre council members.
“Inquiries led to the arrest of a 49-year-old man from Manchester, on suspicion of malicious communications offences. He has since been released on bail, pending further inquiries, until 12 May.
“A 20-year-old woman from Oldham has also since been arrested on suspicion of malicious communications offences and she remains in police custody, inquiries are ongoing.”
Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell, 44, is understood to be “frustrated” with police over their investigation and has urged officers to widen their search to land in case she was snatched or there was foul play involved.
He is also said to have been “appalled” after the force failed to respond to his request to hold a joint press conference last week.
Ansell, an engineer, told Peter Faulding, a diving and forensics expert who is supporting the family, of his frustrations. Faulding told the Daily Mail: “He’s got a relationship with the police family liaison officers, but I think he’s struggling to get answers that he wants.
“He vented his frustrations to the family liaison officers last week in front of me when I was there. He said, ‘Why can’t you go and search buildings in the village?’
“They said they can’t because they need a search warrant. He said, ‘Well, you could just ask them.’ People would happily let them in, the whole village is behind him.”
Bulley, 45, of Inskip, Lancashire, disappeared while walking her springer spaniel Willow after she dropped her two daughters, aged six and nine, at school.
Police believe the mortgage adviser fell into the River Wyre in a “10-minute window” between 9.10am and 9.20am that day, a hypothesis that her family and friends have publicly stated they do not agree with.
