It’s just two days to Valentine’s Day but the love bug has already taken hold of many with the romantic “lock” trend.
Hundreds of padlocks bearing the names of lovers have appeared across bridges in London, the Daily Telegraph reports.
It’s a custom thought to have originated in Hungary in the 1980s, couples leave the locks in a place that is important to them and throw the key in the water as a symbol of their love.
More than 100 locks have been secured to the grids on Tower Bridge while others have been left along the Embankment.
The locks have appeared in countries and cities around the world from China to Paris.
In Rome the number of locks left on the Ponte Milvio bridge on the river Tiber was so large last year that authorities stepped after claiming they were harming the structure.
It’s a romantic gesture, but not everybody’s happy with it…
Officials in London said that in some cases they have removed the locks to stop the trend catching on.
But us Irish have already started to show our softer side.
Dublin City authorities vowed to remove the “love padlocks” which started appearing in their hundreds on the Ha’penny Bridge during the latter end of 2011, the Irish Independent reported last summer. They did so last January but the tradition is back and more popular than ever.
The padlocks have been called an eyesore on the public structure and according to the Dublin City Council, they can cause corrosion and further damage the bridge when being removed
