FORMER Met Chief Superintendent Dal Babu has spoken about the effect social media has had on the search for Nicola Bulley, saying social media companies need to “look at what they’ve done”.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, he said: “It's like the wild west, the social media companies really need to look at what they've done. Where they've allowed TikTokers to live stream absolute rubbish. With no thought to how it has impacted the family.”

He spoke of the conspiracy theories on social media that claim the situation is not real, calling it “shocking and appalling”.

Body found in search for Nicola Bulley

On Sunday, February 19, a body was discovered in the area being searched for missing Nicola Bulley.

The body, which has not yet been formally identified, was found on Sunday morning around a mile from where the 45-year-old mortgage adviser was last seen.

She had been walking her dog in St Michael’s on Wyre after dropping her daughters, aged six and nine, at school on January 27.

It is understood that a man and a woman walking their dog discovered the body and called the police.

Lancashire Constabulary said officers were called to the River Wyre close to Rawcliffe Road at around 11.35am.

“An underwater search team and specialist officers have subsequently attended the scene, entered the water and have sadly recovered a body,” a statement said.

“No formal identification has yet been carried out, so we are unable to say whether this is Nicola Bulley at this time.

“Procedures to identify the body are ongoing.

“We are currently treating the death as unexplained.

“Nicola’s family have been informed of developments and our thoughts are with them at this most difficult of times. We ask that their privacy is respected.”