Take care in Rīga during icicle season

Take note – story published 5 years ago

With the recent thaw, people in Rīga and elsewhere are invited to be particularly careful when walking, as icicles and snow are falling off from the roofs.

Social networks are flooded with stories over people narrowly escaping harm or even death as frozen water detaches from buildings. "I left my home in the morning, and there was some noise coming from the roof. I looked behind me and thought it might have been a car, or something, but it was actually an icicle falling off the roof," said Ivars, a passerby interviewed by Latvian Radio.

In Jelgava, the municipality has set steep fines for homeowners not cleaning their roof, with individuals facing fines of up to €300 to €350 and companies - of up to €1,400. 

While no-one has been fined yet in the city, the police have started four cases over uncleaned sidewalks and roofs in Jelgava over the past couple days. 

People in Rīga are being fined as steeply as in Jelgava, and the Municipal Police has received several calls from people whose cars have been damaged by icicles and snow sliding off the rooftops, said police rep Toms Sadovskis. 

In addition to being extra careful these days, pedestrians are asked to report any dangerous sidewalks and houses to the police. 

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