Pied Piper needed in Hamelin
29th May 2012
The German town of Hamelin is overrun with rats and needs the help of a modern-day Pied Piper
The services of the Pied Piper of Hamelin are once again required in this fabled German town after a plague of rats gnawed through water fountain power cables. Officials blame food left by tourists for the return of the pests but seem in no hurry to repair the broken water feature.
The problematic fountain is “peculiarly hard to maintain and the piping is broken”, according to the town's spokesman Thomas Wahmes who explained that it had to be cleared of leaves frequently. 700 years after the Pied Piper lured the plague of rats to the river to drown, the critters are trying their luck again. The rats may have conveniently brought forward the inevitable closure of the fountain, but the town is still keen to be rid of the infestation.
Hamelin is popular with tourists thanks to the Grimm fairytale that tells how, following his successful ridding of the rats, the unpaid and disgruntled piper returns to lead the children of the town away. Let's hope they learned their lesson in 1284 and pay their rat-catcher sharpish this time.
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