A police search team looking for Nicola Bulley has widened its investigation to the day before she vanished – amid continued scepticism over whether the missing mum fell in a river.

Nicola, 45, vanished a fortnight ago on January 27 in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire. The mum-of-two was walking her dog Willow at the time.

Cops probing the disappearance are now appealing for additional footage after a witness came forward with CCTV from a local garage, The Sun reported.

READ MORE: Nicola Bulley police 'losing trust' after 'crucial mistakes', says top murder detective

A worker at St Michael's Garage told the newspaper cops had taken footage covering the 24 hours before she vanished.

The employee said its security cameras are in working order and picked up vehicles travelling along the main road.

The unnamed staff member said: "They wanted the CCTV from the day before Nicola vanished and to take statements of any activity we had seen from that day."

It comes as a diving pro who joined efforts to find Nicola has said the missing mum could have been targeted or run off with a lover.

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Peter Faulding – the search and rescue expert who spent three days trawling the River Wyre in the hope of finding her – said he disagreed with the police's theory she fell into the river.

Another unnamed witness came forward and claimed they saw two "suspicious" men on the dog-walk route a day before the 45-year-old's final sighting.

Meanwhile, the mother of missing Claudia Lawrence – a chef who worked at York University and vanished in 2009 – said the disappearance of Nicola had left her feeling "stunned".

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Claudia's mum Joan told ITV news: "When it first came on the news I was very very upset. I cried my eyes out for the family, for me, for Claudia. The similarities – it was very painful, it brought it all back."

The search for Nicola continues and Lancashire Police has said officers are keeping an "open mind" while continuing to appeal for information.

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