'Peeping Tom' plagues
roadside restrooms
A kinky problem continues to confound maintenance workers along the highway that winds through the scenic valley of Gudbrandsdalen in Norway.
 Maintenance workers plug the holes, and new ones reappear within a week. PHOTO: JOHANNES GRÅBERG/VEGVESENET |
Someone has been drilling holes into the walls of public roadside restrooms in the area around Lillehammer.
The first holes were found more than 10 years ago. Maintenance workers patched them up, only to find new holes drilled shortly thereafter.
The problem has persisted, with new holes being found in a restroom near the Vingrom Church as recently as during last week's Easter holiday.
The state highway workers don't think the holes are being drilled to increase ventilation in the restrooms. They think someone is using them to spy on those using the public toilet facilities.
"We have discussed who might be behind this, but haven't come to any conclusions," said Johannes Gråberg, building leader of the Sør-Gudbrandsdalen district of the state highway department (Vegvesenet)
"I can't even say whether it's the same person drilling the holes," Gråberg added. "A few years ago we thought we were on the trail of someone, but don't know if it's the same person now."
Reststops at Vingrom and Skarsmoen have been hit the hardest, but holes have also been drilled at reststops between Gjøvik and LIllehammer, and along the E6 highway at Sjoa, south of Otta. Sometimes it only takes a few days before metal plates set up to cover the holes are found to have been removed, or new holes emerge.
"Sometimes we've had to repair the same place twice in the course of a week," Gråberg said. The highway department hasn't, however, received any reports from people reporting uncomfortable experiences at the rest stops.
Marie Norum Lerbak
Aftenposten English Web Desk
Nina Berglund
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