Snow covers some of thousands of padlocks clipped by lovers
on to the railings of Pont de l'Arceveche bridge along the
River Seine near Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
Love was definitely not in the air for Parisian officials
on Valentine's Day as they swooped in to remove the growing
mass of padlocks that love-struck couples have shackled to the
side of a bridge over the River Seine.
A growing tradition has seen lovers flock from all over world
to the French capital to adorn its already groaning bridges
with locks labelled with messages of love.
For city authorities, however, the romantic tokens have
brought nothing but heartache, as the sheer weight of metal
tempts thieves who remove them using wire cutters, causing
structural damage as they work.
Even on Valentine's Day, an operation was in full swing to
replace damaged panels adorned with years' worth of the
locks.
Die-hard romantics were undeterred by the whirring of saws on
Thursday and continued attaching locks in full view of
toiling officials.
British tourist Dan Murphy even took advantage of the spot to
propose to his girlfriend Lauren Price as they attached a
lock to the famously romantic Pont des Arts pedestrian
bridge.
"It just shows it's the most romantic city in the world,"
said Price as she showed off her new engagement ring.
For those who couldn't make it to the bridge or who wanted to
show their affection without giving officials any trouble,
Paris allowed lovers to display Valentine messages on
electronic boards around the city.
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