'Love-locks' cause rail collapse on Paris's Pont des Arts bridge

The Pont des Arts footbridge over the Seine in central Paris was closed for a few hours on Sunday after a metal grill laden with padlocks left by amorous couples collapsed onto the walkway.

Padlocks began appearing on bridges in Paris and other European cities more than five years ago left by people seeking to symbolise their enduring love - often inscribed with couples' names. Lovers typically throw the keys into the river.

Nobody was hurt by the "love lock" incident, a city official told French media on Monday, adding that the bridge had reopened and the two grills across a 2.4 metre stretch of the bridge replaced temporarily by wooden panels.

But in a tweet posted on the city's official web site, Bruno Juillard, the city's elected head of cultural affairs, said it "confirms that our desire to find an alternative to these locks is a real necessity."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/10887201/Love-locks-cause-rail-collapse-on-Pariss-Pont-des-Arts-bridge.html