Couples heartbroken as Paris begins removing ‘lovelocks’ from famed bridge

Work has begun in the capital of France, Paris, on Monday to remove thousands of locks fixed to the side of the famed Pont des Arts bridge. Deputy Mayor of Paris, Bruno Julliard, said the locks on the bridge are an eyesore and that there are many other ways to express love. Couples have fixed thousands of padlocks to the bridge from where they throw the padlock keys into the river. Part of a guardrail weighted down by metal locks last year fell into the River Seine, on which many tour boats and barges travel. The city plans to replace the guardrail with transparent panels by the end of the year. In the meantime, it has commissioned four street artists to create works on the theme of "Love and Paris."