‘Locks of love’ bridge in Paris evacuated after railing collapse
Thousands of lovers from across the world visit the Pont des Arts every year and seal their love by attaching a lock carrying their names to its railing
Sometimes too much love can be a bad thing as Paris discovered on Sunday when thousands of “locks of love” attached to a footbridge caused part of the railing to collapse, forcing an evacuation.
Thousands of lovers from across the world visit the Pont des Arts every year and seal their love by attaching a lock carrying their names to its railing and throwing the key in the Seine.
But police were forced to hurriedly usher visitors off the footbridge in central Paris early on Sunday evening after 2.4 metres of railing collapsed under the weight of the collected tokens of affection.
“The bridge was immediately evacuated and closed,” local police said.
An architect and local officials rushed to the site and a barrier was put in place to stop further access. Police said the bridge would be re-opened by Monday.
The Pont des Arts crosses the French capital’s river Seine just in front of the Louvre museum and is known the world over for its “locks of love”.