This tiny pathway off Bradford Street in Bolton looks just like any other.

But the spot, where Hungarian sex worker Monika Stibla was found dead among the overgrown bushes and rubbish, is far from average.

READ MORE: Inside tragic double life os sex work mum found dead in Bolton street

According to police the area in The Haulgh is used by "as many as 30 people a day" for taking drugs bought nearby.

And its association with crime is a longstanding one.

In 2001, the area was thrust into the spotlight when Carly Bateman, a 17-year-old prostitute and heroin addict, was murdered just across the road in a ginnel off nearby Crawford Avenue.

READ MORE: Who was Carly Bateman? The teenager prostitute killed in 2001

The murder sparked Operation Zero in 2007, a major campaign to tackle sex work in Bolton.

The campaign was hailed a success and Bolton Council insist there is no longer an on-street prostitution problem in the area and a huge amount of work was carried out over many years to eliminate the problem in the area.

But an Bolton News investigation has today found the sex trade has changed with more than 150 sex workers now selling services in the town from online profiles linked to just one adult website.

The seedy trade has been brought to light after the death of 39-year-old Monika Stibla, who was found dead in the area in June.

An inquest into her death last week heard she was found surrounded by "discarded syringes, disposable metal spoons and snap bags".

When her body was found on June 29, The Bolton News reported that the police were conducting searches on Bradford Street as part of an investigation. The details of the death weren't made clear until much later.

Now an inquest has found the mum-of-one died after taking a cocktail of drugs, namely heroin, cocaine, amphetamine and alprazolam - a prescription drug unavailable in the UK.

Miss Stibla came to the UK from Hungary after advertising sex work on an adult website. She was then driven from Staffordshire to Bolton to meet with men.

Detective Inspector Tanya Kitchen told the coroner that she died in an "area known to police in relation to drug use and sex work."

GMP statistics show that, in the past year there have been four drug offences and 22 violent and sexual offences around the pedestrian subway next to Bradford Street.

A statement from GMP suggests police are moving towards providing a heightened presence in residential areas, although they will not be taking on new officers to do this.

In a statement, they said: “As part of pre-planned changes to our resourcing, people will see a return to neighbourhood policing in Bolton in the coming months.

“While there won’t be a larger number of officers working in the district – the ones we do have will be spending more time in communities, which we also hope will act as a deterrence to illegality – including drug use.”

GMP added that they are "ensuring users have access to the relevant services and that any offences are prosecuted where appropriate to do so."

In a statement released after the inquest, a council spokesman said: “It is incredibly sad that this woman lost her life due to drugs.

“Drug-related harm affects communities across the country and we are committed to working with our partners to confront this issue.

“In Bolton, the Achieve Drug and Alcohol service works with drug users who need treatment and we will continue to work in partnership to bring treatment to those who need it.”