The German city of Hamelin may be in need of another Pied Piper — the rats are back.

City officials say a popular fountain is out of service after the rodents gnawed through a power cable.

The Lower Saxony city is where, legend has it, the Pied Piper led the rats out in 1284 with his magic pipe into the Weser River, where they drowned.

But more than 700 years later, city officials say such drastic measures may not be necessary. Plus, the solution in the fictitious Piper story isn’t practical anyway: rats are actually pretty good swimmers.