Parents want dungeon to change name of ride because 'it's offensive'

Attraction owners Merlin claim they have received 'a number of requests' to alter the name due to the 'apparent rude nature of the nickname'.

As part of the new ride, attendees sit in a darkened carriage while listening to spooky stories told from the perspective of Turpin, who at one point says 'stand and deliver' over a tanoy.

"Our Dick’s back carriage ride is the grand finale of our York Dungeon tour, and thousands of guests have already enjoyed this thrilling end to their visit.

"We were shocked to receive complaints to change his name but despite any potentially rude connotations, we’re here to say that Dick, is here to stay."

He defiantly added: "The York Dungeon is renowned for revealing the deepest and darkest secrets of the city’s unique past – whether that includes Dick or not."

In response to the complaints, some took to social media to defend Merlin's decision to keep the name as it is.

"Its only offensive if you let it. How can all of a sudden people want to change the name of a person after hundreds of years in history they need to get a life," one user bemoaned on Facebook.

Howard Johnson, a co-owner of rival Yorkshire attraction Eden Camp Modern History Museum, echoed this sentiment: "A vote for common sense. Ignore these woke idiots."

The attraction situated in the historic city of York only opened last month, and was intended as the "grand finale" of the famed dungeon tour.

While the ride itself could be viewed as a rather odd ode to a serial criminal, the mythology surrounding Turpin helps explain the decision.

In reality, Turpin was eventually hanged on charges of horse theft, with the true extent of his crimes only being uncovered long after his death.

Nevertheless, he lives on in infamy today - partly thanks to the all new ride in the town of his birth.