Tourists taking the highway to Hel will no longer be able travel on bus route 666 after religious groups said the reference to “the number of the beast” – viewed by some as a harmless joke – was “Satanic stupidity”.

The seaside resort in Poland is popular with holidaymakers for its remote beaches and forest trails – a far cry from the fiery pit of eternal damnation evoked by its name.

The 22 mile-long (35km) Hel peninsula in northern Poland is said to be one of the most beautiful and unspoilt parts of the Baltic coast.

Locals have long seen the funny side of the name with the bus route, referencing the number of the beast, viewed by many as a “harmless joke”.

But transport operator PKS Gdynia has decided to change the name of the route to 669 after being bombarded with complaints from Christian groups and individuals for almost 10 years.

Spokesperson Marcin Szwaczyk said: “The management board buckled under the weight of letters and requests that were sent to us, maybe not in large numbers, but cyclically for many years with a request to change the line number.”

Catholic publication Fronda branded the use of the number 666 as “Satanic stupidity” in 2018.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Read more:
Parent in Utah succeeds in getting Bible banned from schools in state
Playing explicit music in the workplace can be treated as discrimination, US court rules

The group wrote in an article: “Hell is the negation of humanity. It is eternal death and suffering. You can only laugh at this reality if you simply don’t understand what it is.”

The new 669 bus service is due to begin running on 24 June.

However, Mr Szwaczyk said route 666 could return if passengers demand it.

“If in fact the response is large and strong enough to restore the line 666, it seems to me that we will listen to our passengers and change this number,” he said.

Related posts:

Man, 18, rescued from hole he dug on beach after it collapsed on him Boy, four, crashes mother’s car after taking it for joyride ‘The stars are aligned’: Frenchman ready for world record bungee jump bid World’s largest Jaffa Cake weighing 80kg is created by Great British Bake Off winner A snake in McDonald’s and a frog hidden in bunch of bananas among RSPCA’s ‘weird’ rescues of 2022 Woman declared dead at New York care centre found breathing at funeral home Wowed by AI? It’s basically just an advanced pigeon, study says Microsoft limits new Bing after reports of bizarre answers – with journalist ‘compared to Hitler’ Watch live: St Patrick’s Day parade in New York Brewery renames White Face beer after customers say it sounded ‘a bit racist’ Why did Venice canal turn bright green? COVID-19 Inquiry: Watch as public hearings begin into UK’s response to pandemic