Nicola Bulley: This is how villagers in St Michael's are feeling a week after mum-of-two's disappearance

This morning -in the cold and drizzle - members of the PTFA where Nicola's daughters attend, lined Garstang Road with placards showing her face, asking for dashcam footage.

The hope is that someone on that same journey seven days ago will check their footage or remember something to give a glint of hope.

But while there is still hope and a will to do whatever is necessary to help, there is also a sense of unease over being in the national spotlight for a week.

"It's very alien for us as a small village", said one local mum.

"It's a close-knit, rural community, and obviously there's been a lot of media attention and a lot of police.

"The whole thing just has the community in shock."

Another mum said: "Taking our children to school, they can see all of this and they are asking questions. It's hard because you want to shield them from any upset, but they do know something's going on.

"They know that a lady has gone missing and we're telling them that she will be found.”

Residents told the Post that some villagers have felt uncomfortable with some reporters following them to ask questions, and said that speculation online “isn’t always helpful”.

Busy

Village car parks were filled with cars and outside broadcast vans this morning, with Sky News recording live from the bank of the River Wyre, next to the bench where Nicola's belongings were found.

The area is no longer cordoned off, and many people were seen milling around the muddy embankment.

Many police officers are partroling the area and specialist underwater teams and a van with equipment could be seen parked up on a track a short distance from the area around the bench.

One local, who asked not to be named, said: "We're all really sad and just desperate to know where she is.

"We just want to find her, and hopefully she's safe. But there's so many things that don't add up."

Another woman said: "The only good thing about this is that the community has shone through. We have come together and we're treating her like she's a sister to us all."

Anybody who has seen Nicola, or has information about where she might be, is asked to call 101, quoting log 565 of January 30. For immediate sightings call 999.