Love locks to be removed from bridge 'for safety'

Love locks are to be permanently eradicated from a famous bridge in the Peak District following claims that people have been injured by them.

Visitors have placed thousands of padlocks on the bridge in Bakewell over the past decade, making it a tourist attraction in its own right.

But Derbyshire County Council is removing the locks to do maintenance work, then changing the design of the bridge so locks cannot be attached in future.

A councillor claimed that doing so will "improve public safety" because of the risk of "grazes and cuts from protruding locks".

The council said it had received "comments" from people who had injured themselves.

"As people have added more and more locks to the bridge, they unfortunately stick out, increasing the risk of injury," a spokesperson said.

But Richard Young, from the Save the Love Locks at Bakewell campaign group, questioned whether or not the padlocks were a genuine safety risk.

"How can you be scratched by a padlock? Think of it logically. It's got rounded corners, it's not sharp," he said.

He also said the council was not giving enough consideration to people who had left love locks in memory of loved ones.

"They're going to take them off and melt them down, and they don't give a damn of that memory of the stillborn child that's on there, or grandad that died, or the wedding anniversary, it's nothing to them," he said.

"I think there will be a lot of people disappointed, and I mean thousands of people that have put them on there."

The bridge crosses the River Wye, which meanders through the market town.

Its official name is Weir Bridge, but it has become known as "Love Lock Bridge".

The council said love locks were first attached to the bridge in 2011, and since then, an estimated 5,000 locks had been added.

It said the bridge needed "extensive repair works" and the love locks must be removed so this can be done.

The maintenance and repair programme is due to start on 16 September and people have been invited to remove their locks before then, if they want to keep them.

The council said it will then recycle any remaining locks and donate the proceeds to two local charities chosen by Bakewell Town Council.

Councillor Charlotte Cupit, cabinet member for highways assets and transport, said: "We understand the significance this bridge has developed for many people as a place to attach a lock to remember loved ones or to celebrate special anniversaries.

“However, as we have noted over the last few years, the bridge requires repairs, which include tackling significant areas of rust, as well as repairing the pedestrian walkway, which has worn through in a number of places.

“To enhance public safety, new metal panels will be installed to replace the wires people have used to attach their locks, helping to improve public safety and reduce the previous issue that has been raised by some of grazes and cuts from protruding locks.”

Mr Young said the bridge benefited the local economy because it attracts more visitors to Bakewell.

"They come in the shops, they might stay overnight, it just puts Bakewell on the map," he said.

He has suggested the padlocks could be moved to another area of Bakewell and put on a tree or railings to create a Love Lock Garden for people to visit instead.

He said he knows of suitable sites, but Ms Cupit claimed "organisations have been unable to help identify or provide a site to display the locks".

She added that the council had delayed planned repairs in 2021 "to look into all options for the future of the locks in the surrounding area as well as giving people time to remove their locks from the bridge".

As well as installing metal panels to replace the wires where people have attached locks, the council said it would be attaching "new tubular railings".

"The thicker diameter of the tubes will prevent locks being attached to the bridge in the future, making maintenance of the structure much easier and improving public safety by reducing the risk of any further grazes and cuts caused by protruding locks," the council said in a news release.

Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.