henry d

Had an invite from friends to go out fishing from their boat, it took several milliseconds to clear my diary. Passed HMS Enterprise and thought it would be a laugh if you were called Kirk, Scotty etc onboard. Got out to the ground we had chosen, a mixed bottom between rocky outcrops and anchored up. As the tide was just turning we didn't get anything for the first half hour when I hooked a decent whiting on half a launce. As the tide increased we had dogfish, not something you expect from the tyneside area, and a small spotted ray too! As the tide really got going we had small shoals of codling come past giving us periods of intense activity among the quiet times. Lots of codling, with 3 of the deeper hooked fish coming home along with 3 whiting, lots of dogs, some of which were just clamping on the bait and dropping off at the side or onboard and a lone spotted ray. Home in time for the rugby, a great time had by all but I still think that the sea temperatures are all to pot as we never used to, or should I say rarely, get dogs and ray, along with the increasing numbers of pout. I even got a small grey Gurnard in the summer! If the bass numbers and sizes were better I might be happy, but I have to say it is bizarre having so many different species where we used to just have cod, coalie and pollock.

That's part of what I am saying, if there are plenty of people in the area, how do you kidnap or attack someone in such a busy area at a busy time without being seen? I too have a busy dog walking area near the river and I know what you mean, when the school run is finished it's constant (dog and other) walkers and you see similar faces/dogs so it's difficult to imagine how she disappeared other than the river.

No they don't.

Doesn't have to, it is a big factor in learned behaviour. Have a Google or just stick with your "...doesn't wash with me." it's up to you.

Do they speak the language, do they have friends and/or family there...

And if it was, what evidence is there in that area? I'm sure that the police would have checked the area well.

I didn't see the programme so I have to use secondary sources like the one you used. He said that he listened to the experts and formed the opinion that she isn't in the water. My thoughts are why he didn't take into account the police? He then surmises that it is a local person is responsible for her disappearance. That is problematic as there seem to be lots of local people in the dog walking area near the river and a busy road nearby that has had lots of people with placards about it since it happened along with national news coverage. The road seems to be a main drag between Garstang/M6 and Poulton/Blackpool and it was just after the school run. He even shoots his theory in the foot by saying: "You see the same faces every single day, and on the very odd occasion when you see somebody that you know, you don't know. They stand out like a sore thumb." Also he said "He believes the discovery of her phone on a bench could be just a 'decoy'." So either he has done her in or he's totally overthinking it (naturally) and she drowned. What's your suggestion Andy?

No it isn't, no one wakes up one day and says; "You know what, I'm going to become a substance abuser..." plenty are in families where alcohol etc is as acceptable as food is elsewhere.

No, can't say how but it wasn't a regular entry into the UK as her mother, my aunt, was the only one who had a UK passport but didn't have permission to leave Iraq as she didn't appear on official Iraqi records as she was a "visitor" who had unofficially over stayed. They got into Syria by lying and appealing to border guards sympathy. After getting into Syria a member of the family went to work somewhere else until she, my cousin, got into the uk and settled. Eventually my cousin and some of the family got to the UK and the funny part of her story was that at one stage a civil servant said it would have been easier if she was a an illegal immigrant as she had no papers to prove who she is and that her British passport owning mother couldn't vouch for her as she shouldn't have left Iraq even though she had overstayed her visa for Iraq. She also had difficulty in proving the large amount of money (@$20K when they left Mosul) was from selling land they owned near a Yazidi village outside of Mosul. Nothing is cut and dried. (Full disclosure, there is some information in the above that isn't strictly correct so that they can't be positively identified, nor the person who helped them leave Iraq)

My cousin and her family did, admittedly not Tesco but they contributed very handsomely once he got back into heading up further education and she in health care.

Yeah that's going to work 🙄

Or we could breed big ferrets and chase them out... 😵‍💫 We had controls before but plenty get through, but they disappear off into the black economy.

No I don't think it would, it would be back to lorries etc.

Well said 👏

OK, thinking along @Mungler lines, obedient spaniel, likely to follow owner obediently and someone tries to abduct or attack the owner, and dog is found close to bench/phone. I'd be checking the spaniels teeth and claws, because mine would have had a piece. Possibly something else plod hasn't thought of? 🤔

No, we went to Spain late October arrived fine and returned fine.

I'm sorry but I must be missing something, I haven't (and admit I haven't read all accounts) heard anything about her dog being under close control? I don't accept all that is said, the water rescue experts for one, as you can't take things for granted concerning water and a rapid downstream search should have taken place at strategic points like bridges etc Looking at maps, there are also a lot of creeks and marshy areas closer to Fleetwood where a body may wash up.

So why was it not wet anyway? Surely, using your reasoning, it would have been in the river no matter what she was doing.

One of my spaniels would not go into water unless there was a bird downed and as hers is dry it suggests that it doesn't go in regularly either, also if the dog is off running about and Nicola goes in the river then the dog returns it is unlikely to look for her there?

Don't know how they can say that, I was swiftwater rescue trained in the FS. Also the sidescan they are using is limited too as you need to be able to interpret what is shown on screen, fine if you are over a wreck or reef in 60+ft but they are in much shallower water so bottom coverage is limited and you need to be able to cover all the river which is hard as one person is navigating and another watching the sonar. GPS is good but not totally accurate and could miss areas.

If you are hidden from your dog the dog doesn't tend to sit and wait for you to appear, certainly not the dogs I've had.

Going beyond the spaniel thing, we had several drownings where I lived in Scotland. One was a very experienced angler was fishing 5 miles or so above Perth and was found in the reedbeds in the estuary between Perth and Dundee. Another was a young lad who tried swimming across the river and was trying to remove his hoodie as it was hampering him swimming and he disappeared under the water never to be seen again until 10 or so days later when my friend spotted something around 150m downstream, his body had snagged on a branch. I sincerely hope she is well somewhere but water is a strange thing and doesn't react like we might think

Where?

That's what I was saying, you need to look at several to get an idea of what is actually going on. In the case above I don't go with farage as there is a bias or direction so I looked myself and there are buses that are free in that area and rather than take the line of the op and blaming the EU/France, I think that it is just people using what is freely available. If there is evidence of the French authorities rounding up people from the camp and putting them into the buses then that is a different matter and I will change my opinion but that seems unlikely. There is bias all around to a greater or lesser extent so going for single sources is just allowing yourself to confirm that bias.

Acrimonious divorce, dispute with neighbours, etc etc