SHACKLED York Dungeon boss Helen Douglas is taking the blame for the worst flooding York has seen in centuries.
The boss at the city tourist attraction was thrown in the stocks after she ignored superstition, days before the rains started last November.
And Helen is using the punishment to raise cash for the York flood relief fund.
A Dungeon spokesman said: "Helen cocked a snook at superstition, dismissing a whole catalogue of familiar taboos as pure hocus-pocus, and to prove the point she smashed a full length mirror with a sledgehammer.
"The rains began a few days later, and didn't stop until not only the Dungeon but countless homes and businesses in the city lay under several feet of water."
Dungeon visitors will be able to pay £1 to throw a sponge at Helen.
To underline their new-found respect for the most superstitious date in the calendar, staff at the Dungeon are opening a new Bad Friday The !3th exhibition.
Updated: 10:27 Friday, April 13, 2001
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article