A WOMAN who vanished while walking her dog has 'two little girls that need their mummy home'.

Nicola Bulley, 45, went missing on January 27 after taking her dog on a walk.

The dog, springer spaniel Willow, was found loose between the river and the bench.

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Her mobile phone was found on a bench near where she was last seen on a towpath by the River Wyre in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire.

Ms Bulley, a mortgage adviser, has lived in Lancashire for 25 years but is originally from near Chelmsford and has a southern accent.

Ms Bulley's partner Paul Ansell, speaking from the family home in Inskip, Lancashire, said he spent all Sunday searching for the mother-of-two.

He said: "It is just perpetual hell - it is just utter disbelief.

"All we can say is we need to find her, she's got two little girls that need their mummy home."

Superintendent Sally Riley from Lancashire Police said: "The police are keeping an open mind about what could have happened, but we do believe that the likelihood is that Nicola has gone missing, and this is not a criminal inquiry.

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"We're very much hoping that we will find something to bring her home safe and well soon.

"We appeal for anyone who may have been driving through the village of St Michael's last Friday morning at about 9.15am or who may have dashcam footage that could be of use to us or people who may have been dog-walking in the area or on the towpath, to come forward.

"They can ring 101, or if they have a sighting of Nicola, 999."

Ms Bulley is described as white, 5ft3in, with light brown shoulder-length hair.

At the time of her disappearance, she wore a long black gilet jacket with a hood, black jeans and olive green ankle wellington boots.

Her hair was in a ponytail.

Searches have been carried out by Lancashire Police, using a helicopter, drones and dogs with support from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue team and the North West Underwater Search Team.

Anybody with information can call 101, quoting log 473 of January 27, or Crimestoppers anonymously at 0800 555 111.