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Tower Bridge in London is stuck open!

Tower Bridge

City of London Police said the bridge had suffered a technical failure

The famous Tower Bridge in London is stuck in the open position making it it impossible for people to cross.

Police have asked people to stay away from the area and have blamed a technical fault.

The famous landmark was scheduled to open this afternoon to allow a large wooden tall ship through, but it appears to have become jammed in place.

A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation, which manages the bridge, said investigations into the failure were taking place but the source of the fault was currently unknown.

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The bridge connects the City of London to the borough of Southwark on south bank of the ThamesReuters

The bridge connects the City of London to the borough of Southwark on south bank of the Thames

Just a year ago in August 2020, the bridge also got stuck open for more than an hour, leaving hundreds of people and vehicles stranded in central London. That time the famous crossing failed to close after allowing a ship to pass along the River Thames on Saturday afternoon.

In 2005, police also closed the bridge for 10 hours after a technical problem meant the arms could not be lowered.

Five facts about Tower Bridge

This photo from the Hulton Archive shows the bridge as it was around the year 1900.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

This photo from the Hulton Archive shows the bridge as it was around the year 1900.

Tower Bridge is one of London's most famous landmarks - but how much do you really know about this architectural marvel?

  • The City of London Corporation held a competition for the design of a new bridge to help Londoners travel between the two sides of the Thames in 1876. Over 50 were submitted but it took until 1884 to pick a final design - one by architect Sir Horace Jones and civil engineer Sir John Wolfe Barry was picked.

  • The two sections in the central span are called bascules - and they raise up to an angle of 83 degrees. 'Bascule' is derived from the French for see-saw - not hard to see why!

  • When Tower Bridge first opened, it used to be powered by coal burning steam engines, but these were replaced by a combination of electricity and oil in the 1970s

  • Tower Bridge is made up of more than 11,000 tons of steel and the foundations needed more than 70,000 tons of concrete to support the structure. It also features over 31 million bricks

  • In 1952 the number 78 London bus driven by Albert Gunter on its way across the Bridge, had to leap from one side to the other when the Bridge began to rise!