Council to melt down thousands of 'love locks' in health and safety madness

They will strip the bridge in Bakewell clear of the locks and then melt them down, with a campaigner fuming that the council “don’t give a d***”.

The local authority will then redesign the bridge with metal panels replacing the wires so that locks cannot be attached in the future.

“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,” council bosses said in a news release.

The move comes after the council said that they received a “number of complaints” from people who had injured themselves on the bridge, however, admitted that it has “not kept records of the numbers”.

An estimated 5,000 love locks are attached to the bridge, with the first being placed there in 2011.

The bridge in Bakewell has since become well-known for its collection of colourful and personal padlocks, with many now referring to it as the Love Lock Bridge.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• Allotment owners threatened with eviction by 'wildlife loving' council over beehives
• Council slaps household with £175 fine for using wood burning stove
• Locals fuming as England's 'loveliest village' turned into 'binhole' after rubbish row

Derbyshire County Council spokesperson said: “We have had a number of complaints over the years although we have not kept records of numbers.

“However, it is an issue, and there have been complaints about grazes, cuts and bruises caused by people catching themselves on the locks. The issue is that as more locks are added they are actually narrowing the footway and therefore increasing the risk.

“The fundamental issue is that the bridge needs maintenance to make sure the public have a safe crossing point to the town centre.”

However, Richard Young, from Save the Love Locks at Bakewell campaign group, doubted the council’s claims that the locks were causing injuries.

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

Young also said that the local authority were being inconsiderate to those who had left the locks in memory of lost loved ones.

“They're going to take them off and melt them down. 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 continued.

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

The maintenance programme will commence on September 16 and those who do not want their locks melted down have been urged to come and collect the item.

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.”