Nicola Bulley diver Peter Faulding 'ignored' by police as family beg him to help find missing two year old Xielo Maruziva

Peter Faulding, a 61-year-old expert diver, has claimed that police are not allowing him to join the search for two-year-old Xielo Maruziva, who fell into the River Soar and is still missing.

Peter was contacted by the family of the little boy to help in the search. He had previously led a private search for Nicola Bulley, 45, who disappeared while walking her dog last year.

However, according to Xielo's grandmother, Kayela Smith, the police have "refused" Peter's help. Peter says his offers to assist have been "ignored". The toddler fell into the river in Aylestone, Leicestershire, last Sunday (February 18), and despite his father's desperate attempts to save him, he was swept away by the swollen river, Lancs Live reports.

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Peter, who runs Specialist Group International (SGI), said: "The request came in from the family on February 21 - they pleaded with me to help them search." He added: "I said I'd do it free of charge - my team is ready to roll straight away. We've got the best equipment in the world, and I've got an untarnished reputation for finding 10 drowning victims per year."

"We're not some amateur team. But we've been ignored by the police. We've put constant requests in to help find Xielo since Wednesday - but we've heard nothing back. Or, they've said they've got enough resources."

"This isn't about police hatred - it's about finding a two-year-old boy, the same age as my own grandson."

During the Nicola Bulley search, Peter claimed he found Nicola's body "within six minutes" and was later criticised in a report for causing "unwarranted distress." However, Kayela Smith has pleaded on Facebook for the police to let Peter and his team join