Major breakthrough in hunt for missing mum Nicola Bulley as cops quiz vital new witness

COPS have made a major breakthrough in the case of missing mum Nicola Bulley after tracking down a "key" witness.

The dog walker, 45, vanished after dropping her children off at school in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, on Friday January 27.

Since then there has been no trace of the mum-of-two, leaving her family in agony.

The search yesterday reached its eighth painstaking day.

Lancashire Police earlier appealed for a new witness to come forward.

CCTV showed a woman wearing a yellow coat pushing a pram.

But now, cops have revealed the key witness has been found.

A statement read: "Earlier this evening as part of our search for Nicola Bulley, we put out an appeal to find a witness in St Michael’s on Wyre.

"We are pleased to say that the woman came forward very quickly and we must stress that she was very much being treated as a witness and was one of many people in St Michael’s on Friday, January 27th.

"Our enquiries to find Nicola are extensive and will include speaking to as many members of the public as possible."

The force urged anyone with dashcam footage from the area on the morning of Nicola's disappearance to come forward.

It comes after cops quizzed another female witness earlier this week.

Police urged the woman dressed in a red coat to get in touch before later confirming she had been identified.

Cops yesterday revealed their "main working hypothesis" was that Nicola had "sadly fallen" into the icy River Wyre.

Police explained they thought she may have plunged in while trying to retrieve her dog Willow's tennis ball.

However Superintendent Sally Riley, of Lancashire Police later said cops found “no evidence of a slip or fall” near the bench where Nicola's mobile phone was found.

If the mum did fall into the water, she may have been weighed down by the "heavy" clothing she was wearing.

What Nicola was wearing was listed - including her pale blue Fitbit.

Her pal Emma White said police were working to get the data off the fitness watch.

Emma told The Sun: “The Fitbit had not been synced since Tuesday.

"The police are trying other ways to try to get information from it.”

Speaking this morning, pal Emma also rejected the police's theory that the missing mum could have fallen into an icy river trying to retrieve her dog's ball.

Emma said Nicola no longer took a tennis ball on her walks with Willow because the pooch would "pester" her for the toy.