Glass panels replace Paris' famous padlocks as city fears damage to bridge

Couples on romantic breaks in the city have taken to festooning the railings of historic bridges with padlocks inscribed with their names.Their weight caused a section of metal mesh to collapse this summer on the Pont des Arts under the strain of some 54 tons of padlocks.Six weeks ago officials launched a publicity campaign urging amorous couples to stop jeopardising public safety with the padlocks. Instead, they were asked to symbolise their love by taking 'selfies' on Paris bridges and posting the photographs on social networks.But authorities did not impose any penalties to avoid putting off tourists in one of the world's most visited cities and the popular practice continued unabated.On the Pont des Arts, the footbridge where the craze started, two sections of wire mesh have now been replaced with glass panels "on a trial basis" and a third "light and transparent" panel will be installed in a few days, city officials said. They stressed that the panels are not unsightly and cause "no visual pollution".The trial follows months of heated debate over the locks as the authorities struggled to find a way to rid the city's historic bridges of the rash of padlocks. They removed thousands of padlocks, only to see more appear. Eventually 37 sections of the wire mesh were removed as they were about to collapse.The deputy mayor, Bruno Julliard, said: "Paris is the capital of love and we're all very proud of that, but there are much more beautiful ways of demonstrating that love than fixing a padlock on a bridge.""We're hoping that this trial will be conclusive and we'll extend it to other bridges," another official said. "We want to see the end of love locks. They're not aesthetically pleasing."However, residents fear the glass panels will soon be covered with even more unsightly graffiti."It's all very well but it will only be a couple of days before the graffiti appear," said Mich??le, 32, a local shopkeeper. "Mind you, the only people around here who'll miss the padlocks are those who sell them to tourists," she added.(telegraph.co.uk)Bakudaily.Az