'Love locks' need removing after vandals damaged Castleford footbridge

The padlocks, known as love locks, have been fastened to the footbridge spanning the Rive Aire in Castleford.

And many of them contain messages of love or celebrate a relationship.

But on Wednesday morning, between 10am and 1pm Wakefield Council will be closing the bridge to carry out repair work after vandals cut through several cables.

Other cables have also begun to rust where people have attached padlocks.

People are being asked to only remove their padlock if they still have the key before Wednesday and not to use any cutting equipment, as it could cause further damage to the bridge .

Coun Matthew Morley, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Highways, said: “We recognise there’s been popular trend for several years for people to place padlocks on bridges across the world, as a way of expressing their feelings for a loved one.

"We don’t want to spoil anyone’s enjoyment – but unfortunately it can cause issues, that people won’t have foreseen seen at the time, by damaging the structure. Our priority, as ever is public safety and we need to make sure that the bridge stays safe and secure for everyone to use and enjoy.”

Padlocks that have not been taken down will be removed as part of the repair works and any new ones will continue to be taken away.

It won’t be possible to return any padlocks as the removal process will damage them.

During the closure of the bridge the alternative pedestrian route will be over the main bridge on Lock Lane.