By Warning over ‘love locks’ on new Hull bridge
People in Hull have been asked not to attach padlocks onto the newly-opened Castle Street bridge, officially known as Murdoch’s Connection.
Several padlocks have already appeared on the bridge, which only opened on Friday 5 March.
Amid fears that padlocks may cause long term damage, Highways England, who maintains the bridge has suggested that users could take selfies instead to mark a ‘loving moment’ instead.
The request comes after Hull City Council chief executive Matt Jukes confirmed that although there is no set policy on padlocks, some had been removed from another bridge in the city.
Speaking via Twitter, he said:
“There isn’t a specific policy against it, although they can cause maintenance problems and we had to remove some at Scale Lane bridge for this very reason.
“Reflecting this, we would obviously rather people didn’t attach them.”
It is likely that padlocks placed on the new Castle Street bridge will also be removed.
A spokesperson for Highways England spokesperson added
“While we are delighted people are enjoying Murdoch’s Connection, we would discourage people from attaching padlocks to the bridge because in the long term it could damage the structure, which would spoil the experience.
“It’s great people are choosing Hull as a place to declare their love, and perhaps there are other ways to demonstrate it.
“Selfies have become popular since the bridge opened, and would be the ideal gesture to mark a loving moment.”
Contact Gi Hull
Email us: news@gi-media.co.uk
Follows us on Facebook for all the latest local stories, breaking news and to join the conversation
