Austrians Use Fake Snakes To Keep Men Zipped Up

Fed up with motorists stopping to urinate by the roadside, Austrian officials have decided to put up fake snake warnings to scare them into using toilets.

"The idea is that people stop to relieve themselves, see the warning about snakes and get back in the car instead of going to the bushes to take a leak", says Franz Perder, manager of a motorway restaurant in Guntramsdorf where some of the signs have been placed.

"Of course there are no snakes but they don't know that. The warnings have worked really well".

Officials say East Europeans are the worst culprits. The signs read 'Beware, mortal danger. Snakes' in Polish and Czech alongside a picture of a cobra. There are also versions of the sign in English and German.

"People were fed up with the smell of urine in the car parks, even though the toilets are free", said Perder.

"We tried other signs but they were useless. These signs though have really worked. You see men coming up to bushes, getting ready to have a pee and then quickly zipping up their trousers again when they see the signs".

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