Residents in Rishton are becoming increasingly frustrated as people are knocking on the wrong doors when searching for a supposed local brothel.

The location of the alleged venue is said to be in Hermitage Street and residents a few doors down say they have repeatedly been asked if it is their house by strangers turning up on their doorsteps.

Katie Edwards, who lives in the street, moved to the area and has found the men knocking on her door “disgusting”.

She said: “I thought it was a nice area, but it is disgusting behaviour.”

On Thursday night, Katie rushed to the door to answer and was asked by a man in the street if this was the “sex business”.

She added: “I was just dressed as scruffy as you can imagine, and I rushed to the door.

"He asked is this business and I said what business are you looking for and he said the sex business.

“He didn’t stand there sheepishly, and he wasn’t embarrassed, he just walked off.”

In 2019 Lancashire Police featured in a documentary about human trafficking, and in 2020, eight further people were charged in connection with a major police investigation into sex trafficking.

In February and March 2020 officers launched Operation Brixton looking into the activities of a trafficking ring operation in Blackburn, Burnley and Preston.

And in September a court heard how Laszlo Matus of Beverley Road, Heaton, was brought before Bolton Crown Court accused of being one of the gang who had profited by exploiting women between October 2021 and November 2022.

The court was told that his gang sold the women’s services through an online agency that trafficked the victims across the country.

Matus denied all charges which included conspiring to conceal, disguise, convert, transfer or remove criminal property.

Victims of sexual exploitation can call police on 101 and for help and support contact Lancashire Victim Services on 0300 323 0085.