Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Pitlochry falls out of love with global tourism trend

A love lock on the Port-na-Craig suspension bridge
A love lock on the Port-na-Craig suspension bridge

Visitors to one of Scotland’s most popular tourist towns will no longer be able to attach ‘love locks’ to a popular footbridge.

The declaration of love at Port-na-Craig footbridge over the River Tummel at Pitlochry has become a staple for visitors.

Perth and Kinross council will begin cutting the locks off the suspension bridge on Monday and will install signs at either end explaining any new items attached to the bridge will also be removed.

Placing padlocks on bridges – to mark a stage in a relationship or a loved one’s passing – is a trend believed to have begun in Rome in 2006. It is now popular in tourism hotspots across the globe.

But the Pitlochry locks are causing damage to the bridge’s paintwork, leading to the rusting of steel sections.

There have also been reports of passers-by injuring themselves on the protruding devices.

A local group has been set up to identify a replacement spot for new locks, so visitors can still express themselves by placing a padlock, should they wish.

A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said the work should be completed by November 22, and that the bridge would remain open throughout.

“The extent of the padlocks is now such that it is preventing full inspection of the bridge and its structural elements,” she said.

“Signs will be erected at either end of the bridge advising that any love locks placed on the bridge in future will be removed.”

The locks have become popular at tourist destinations across the globe

Once broken, the padlocks will be stored at Pitlochry Library for four weeks to give their owners an opportunity to collect them.

The council removed all the locks attached to the bridge as part of a £275,000 revamp in 2013, but the number of new devices has led to the latest clean out.

Highland Perthshire councillor Mike Williamson, SNP, said the locks “were a real marmite” topic.

“You understand the reasons people put them there, the death of a relative maybe, but the council has to act when there’s a health and safety risk.”

Councillor Xander McDade, Independent, said he had received complaints from people who have been injured by the padlocks as they crossed the bridge.

“Sadly the lovelocks do cause long term damage to the structure due to the sheer volume of them because Pitlochry is such a popular destination.”

Both councillors backed moves to find an alternative site for the new locks.

Jim Laurenson, chair of the Pitlochry and Moulin Community Council, said attaching love locks had been a popular thing for visitors to do for a number of years.

“It’s not just Pitlochry. It’s worldwide. There are a lot of bridges in a similar state, but we decided to do something about it.

“It seems a bit trivial, but when you think of the damage being done it’s a good thing at the end of the day.”