Love locks still on Bakewell bridge despite plan to remove them in 2023

Campaigners believe there are more than 10,000 locks on the bridge

Plans are still in place for thousands of love locks to be removed from a footbridge in the Peak District - two years after the purge was put on hold.

Padlocks have been left on Bakewell's Weir Bridge since the phenomenon started more than 10 years ago.

Derbyshire County Council paused its maintenance project plan in 2021 and said the locks would be removed in 2023.

The authority said a date had not yet been set for the work.

Richard Young, a retired businessman in the town, launched a Facebook group called "Save the Love Locks at Bakewell" in an effort to prevent them from being removed.

He said the locks were a "fantastic natural tourist attraction" for the town.

The locks are set to be removed for routine maintenance

"It means a great deal to people," said Mr Young, who worked in the town for more than 15 years. "There aren't many bridges like it across the world, so we're very lucky to have one in Bakewell.

"Some locals love it; others hate it, but it's a natural tourist attraction and hasn't cost the town anything.

"People come every year - on their anniversaries, their birthdays - and they don't just come once; they keep coming back.

"They then buy things from the shops and eat in the restaurants. I just think it's a lovely thing, which is why I was out there to save them in the beginning."

A spokesperson for the council also advised people visiting the town not to add any more locks to the bridge.

The authority added it was unsure what would happen with the locks once they were removed, but Mr Young hopes an alternative space for them can be found.

'Bakewell jigsaw'

He added: "If they need to removed, then we need to find somewhere within that vicinity to display them.

"They can be quite easily drawn off the bridge without cutting them, then placed on a heart shape, a stand or a memorial nearby.

"All of these locks mean something to somebody. I think there would be an outcry if they removed [them]. They are part of the Bakewell jigsaw."

Derbyshire County Council said "plenty of notice" would be given before any work in order to allow them to remove the locks if they wanted to.

A spokesperson said: "We need to carry out some routine maintenance on the bridge and would need to remove the locks to do this work.

"At the moment we don't have any specific dates for this work, but before we start we will give plenty of notice so that people have the opportunity to come and remove their locks."