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OSLO

Oslo police warn public to stay off frozen fjord

After many people ventured onto the icy Oslo Fjord this weekend, police have warned the public against skating and walking on frozen waterways.

Oslo police warn public to stay off frozen fjord
Image: Erin McKenna/Unsplash

The Oslo Fjord ice is unstable in several areas and seven people fell through it into the water during the weekend, broadcaster NRK reported.

“It is ice cold in the water now. If you fall through the ice it is dangerous,” Oslo Police operations leader Christer Martinsen told NRK.

A large number of people are reported to have congregated at the Sørenga, Kadettangen, Kalvøya and Sandvika locations.

All of the persons who fell through the ice are accounted for and no injuries have been reported.

But police have now asked the public to stay off all ice on the inner Oslo Fjord.

In a tweet, Oslo Police ordered the public to “stay off the ice in unsafe areas and outside of marked zones”.

“If you go on the ice now, you must know what you are doing. There have been enough examples over the years of people who have lost their lives this way,” Martinsen told NRK.

“Not everyone has safety equipment or the right knowledge to walk on the ice. Water can bever be completely safe. You would have to verify that you are on safe ground with drilling equipment and the like,” the officer also said.

“We fully understand that it is tempting to go out on the ice, but you must know what you are doing. You have a personal responsibility,” Marinsen said.

READ ALSO: These are the current coronavirus restrictions in the Oslo area

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RENTING

Rental prices in Norway’s biggest cities continue to rise

The cost of renting in Norway's four largest cities rose overall during the third quarter, with prices up six percent this year, figures from Real Estate Norway show. 

Rental prices in Norway's biggest cities continue to rise

A sharp increase in rent prices in Norway continued throughout the third quarter, figures from Real Estate Norway (Eiendom Norge) released on Tuesday show. 

“Real Estate Norway’s rental housing price statistics show a historically strong rise in rental housing prices in Norway in the third quarter,” Henning Lauridsen, CEO of Real Estate Norway, stated in a report on the latest figures. 

Growth was most robust in Stavanger and Oslo, according to Real Estate Norway. 

“The strong growth in rental prices we have seen in the wake of the pandemic continued in the third quarter, and it is particularly in the Stavanger region and in Oslo that the growth in rental prices is strong,” Lauridsen said. 

Stavanger and nearby Sandnes saw the largest price increases, with the cost of renting there increasing by 4.7 percent during the third quarter. During the same period, rents in Oslo increased by 2.5 percent, while a marginal 0.3 percent rise was recorded in Trondheim. 

While the cost of renting in Norway’s four largest cities overall increased by 2 percent, rental prices in Bergen declined. There, rents fell by 2.5 percent in the third quarter.

Lauridsen said that the increase in rental prices was likely to continue due to several factors. High inflation, interest rates, increased taxes on rental properties and a low supply of homes on the market all contributed to increasing rents. 

However, he did note that the supply of rental homes on the market had increased in Trondheim and Oslo since the summer. 

Lauridsen said that the least well-off financially were being hit hardest by rent rises. Previously, the Norwegian government has informed The Local that it will not introduce a temporary cap on rent increases. 

READ MORE: Norway’s government rules out a temporary rent cap

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