IT is already under fire for its gruesome alternative to the traditional Santa's Grotto - but the unrepentant team behind the region's goriest attraction is now going one step further.

The York Dungeon set up a grim and macabre Satan's Grotto as a bizarre alternative to the usual festive fayre.

But features such as elves impaled on spikes and robins roasting over open fires landed them in trouble with some groups, including the Christian Institute, which called for it to be banned. But the dungeon has been unperturbed by the fuss and is testing tolerance further with an irreverent advent calendar.

Instead of a traditional festive scene, it depicts a tortured Santa hanging in shackles from a dank dungeon wall, beneath the greeting "Happy Bloody Christmas".

The chained Santa even suffers the indignity of having the traditional Christmas robin leave a messy deposit on his head. And instead of a Yuletide image behind the pop-open windows, they reveal all kinds of unsavoury trivia about the festive season

Yesterday, staff at the attraction, in Clifford Street, York, were making no apologies for their light-hearted calendar.

"Our Satan's Grotto features have proved so popular in the past that this year we thought we would take our anti-celebrations a stage further," said dungeons brand manager Scott Williamson.

* The advent calendar originated in Germany - the first produced in 1903 depicting "the Christchild's Garden", with each window opening to reveal a religious text.

The first British version was published by Hamish Hamilton in the 1950s, depicting Noah's Ark and featuring a story by Lord Peter Wimsey author Dorothy L Sayers.

Published: 30/11/2004