International

     The famous Pont des Arts will soon be free from the hundreds of thousands of love locks that hang from its railings after Paris confirmed it had finally had enough of the tradition.
    

The locks will begin to be definitively removed from the bridge as of Monday, a statement from Paris Town Hall said this week.

The phenomenon of tourists "locking their love to the bridge" has left the Pont des Arts in a state of disrepair and left many in Paris frustrated at the Town Hall's seeming unwillingness to tackle the issue.

But Paris and its mayor Anne Hidalgo have finally decided to act.

"Hundreds of thousands of locks are attached to certain bridges around Paris," said a statement from the Town Hall.

"This phenomenon generates two problems: a lasting degradation of the heritage of Paris and also a risk to the safety of visitors, Parisians and tourists," the statement read.

The Pont des Arts will have to be closed for a week so the locks can be removed. An art instillation will be placed on the bridge temporarily before glass panels are eventually installed on the bridge in the autumn.