For years, couples visiting Bristol attached padlocks to Pero’s Bridge to symbolise their relationships, often throwing the keys into the harbour below. The tradition eventually created an unexpected engineering problem. By June 2025, an estimated three tonnes of locks had accumulated on the pedestrian bridge, adding so much weight that it could no longer be lifted. The city planned to remove the locks before that summer’s Harbour Festival.
How Pero’s Bridge became a symbol of romance
Pero’s Bridge crosses Bristol’s Floating Harbour, connecting Queen Square with Millennium Square. Opened in 1999, the pedestrian crossing was named after Pero Jones, an enslaved man who lived in Bristol during the 18th century. Its most distinctive feature is a pair of large horns that act as counterweights when the bridge is raised.Over the years, couples began attaching padlocks to the bridge as declarations of love, with the keys often being thrown into the water below. The collection became an instantly recognisable feature of the harbourside. Bristol24/7 reported in June 2025 that the locks had eventually accumulated to an estimated three tonnes.
Three tonnes of locks stopped the bridge from lifting
The romantic tradition had gradually become an engineering issue. By 2025, the weight of the padlocks had become significant enough for a “no lift” notice to be placed on Pero’s Bridge, meaning it could no longer be raised because of the additional load.Patsy Mellor, Bristol’s director of management of place, told the city’s harbour committee that the locks were estimated to weigh three tonnes. She said officials were looking for a solution that could allow the locks to be moved to a nearby structure instead. The removal had to take place before the Harbour Festival in July.
The city had removed the locks before (Image: B24/7)
The city had removed the locks before
This was not the first time Bristol had tried to deal with the growing collection. About a decade earlier, the council removed most of the padlocks from Pero’s Bridge, but people began attaching new ones and the bridge was covered again within a few years.The practice has also raised environmental and structural concerns elsewhere. Attaching metal locks can contribute to corrosion, while keys thrown into rivers and harbours can harm aquatic life. In 2023, a campaign was launched calling for the locks on Pero’s Bridge to be removed.The debate had previously gone in the opposite direction. In 2016, then Bristol mayor Marvin Rees said it was unlikely the locks would be removed, describing them as part of the creativity and iconic sights of the Floating Harbour.
The love locks were due to be removed
In June 2025, officials said the three-tonne collection would be removed before the Bristol Harbour Festival, which was scheduled for July 18-20. Rather than simply throwing away the sentimental collection, the council was considering placing the locks on another nearby structure.The episode shows how a tradition intended to represent permanence can eventually clash with the infrastructure carrying it. Thousands of small gestures of affection had accumulated into a load measured in tonnes. The very symbols intended to keep love fixed in place had become heavy enough to prevent Pero’s Bridge from moving.
