Six centuries after their ancestors brought the bubonic plague to England, a colony of black rats have invaded York to take centre stage at York Dungeon's newest feature.

And if dungeon bosses get their way, they could be here to stay.

The rats were brought in to launch the dungeon's new £1 million plague feature and featured in a harbour scene showing how the disease spread into the country.

But it is hoped the launch could be the first stage in getting a colony of black rats living permanently on site.

In the 14th century about a third of the population of Europe were killed by bubonic plague.

It arrived in England in 1349 carried by ships' rats which were in turn the carriers of fleas infected with the plague germs.

As the rats succumbed to the disease, the infected fleas went in search of other hosts - usually human - with devastating effects.

Manager Nigel Peacock said they were currently in discussion with both the developers and a national pest control firm to see how feasible it would be to bring in the rats permanently.

"Obviously we will be guided by their expertise, but we still have high hopes that, one day, there will be a colony of black rats living on site", he said.

"The combination of costumed characters, animatronics, special effects and live rats should guarantee that the new feature will provide a truly unforgettable experience to visitors!"

He said the "plague experience" was the biggest development since the dungeon opened and would involve taking visitors on a spine-chilling tour of grisly scenes of dying victims and corpses, with a few scary surprises along the way.

"We're effectively doubling the size of the attraction and adding a whole new level for visitors to explore," he said.

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