TURPIN was greatly amused by the Evening Press article about a revolutionary project to raise York's Kings Arms above flood level. But reaction to the April 1 spoof story has, if anything, been even funnier.

Landlord Mike Hartley says a number of customers have turned up at the riverside pub, wondering why it isn't now standing 12 feet above flood level as we had reported.

The puzzled punters included a group of American tourists, demanding to know where the new wall was. Quick as a flash, Mike told them special hydraulics had been installed so that the pub would rise automatically when the floodwaters rose. He claims they left full of admiration for those "goddamn engineers".

But Mike - who plans to put a framed copy of the article on the wall at the pub - also had a lengthy call from a news agency reporter, who wanted to sell the great story on to the national media.

Our report was littered with clues which pretty well gave the game away. The real York tourist boss Gillian Cruddas became Avrillian Cruddas, (Avril is French for April) we quoted an engineer called Lapri Loof, (an anagram of April Fool) and we referred to an all-night lock-in for drinkers while hydraulic pumps and a crane raised the building by 12 feet, and a team of brickies laid layers of bricks underneath.

But the reporter had bitten, says Mike, hook, line and sinker. He decided to keep the joke going and gave lots of nice quotes during a 20-minute interview. He told how he would miss the old flooding tradition but it would be nice to keep his feet dry.

He even put the reporter on to a customer, Des Emmerson, who said he would miss coming into the pub in his wellington boots.

"I gave her lots of spiel," said Des. "I said I was a racehorse trainer. I wasn't really sure if I was taking the mickey out of her, or she was taking the mickey out of me!"

Turpin understands various tabloids liked the story and asked for pictures. There are also rumours that a TV crew was planning to travel down to the pub to cover the story.

The gaffe was apparently only blown when one of the Evening Press's rival publications looked at the story, looked at the calendar and said something like: "Hang on a minute, do you know what day it is?"

Des reckons it was one of the best April Fool stories ever run by a newspaper. And a number of readers seem to agree.

We were "flooded" with calls by people wanting to say how much they enjoyed the story, with some confessing that they - or more often "their partners" - had been taken in.

Terry Smith, of Classic Cutz barbers shop in Heworth, was one reader who called to say he loved the story. He particularly liked the line in which we reported how drinkers were given the option of leaving before work began, or staying all-night for a lock-in.

He was tickled by the thought of drinkers staggering out in the morning to finding a great big drop below the step.

Stephen Richmond, of Clifton, rang us to say his wife Mandy had fallen for the joke story.

Stephen said: "She read the article twice, said 'how the hell are they going to do that,' then realised and hit herself over the head with the paper.

"She is a really good sport and is laughing her head off about it now."

Special thanks go to reader Noel Morgan, who came up with the idea and created the picture of the raised pub on his computer screen after buying a digital camera.

The photo certainly confirms one thing: the old saying "the camera never lies" no longer holds true and should be consigned to the delete file.

LET no one doubt the commitment of Coun Nick Blitz to testing the efficiency of our emergency services.

The North Yorkshire police authority stalwart tried out almost every sort of transport with a blue light on top this week.

His journeys began at the authority meeting on Monday. The York councillor cadged a lift with fellow member Mick Brighton in a fire vehicle.

Unfortunately, Coun Blitz was taken ill during the meeting and had to be whizzed to Scarborough Hospital in an ambulance.

"When I was allowed out, they brought me home in a police car," he said. "A friend said I only needed a trip with the coastguard to complete the set."

Despite an infection in his leg, he managed to stumble on to the election stump to meet his party leader Charles Kennedy when he was in the city on Thursday.

Nick's illness was diagnosed as cellulitis. "The nurse said, 'I have got cellulite but yours is much worse'."

Updated: 09:27 Saturday, April 05, 2003