Valentine’s Day looks set to see the resuscitation of the battle between lovers and Parisians over the lovelocks on bridges.

Lovelocks in Paris

Lovelocks in Paris Image by Jason Taellious

Any visitor to Paris will be aware of the city’s romantic atmosphere which brings with it swarms of couples intent on chaining their love to a bridge with a lock. The practice of putting locks to bridges developed some years ago in Paris, and soon spread to other cities famed for their romance and that had large accommodating bridges for locks.

But Parisians in particular have been battling the lock-wielding lovers since last year, drawing attention to how the locks are ruining the beauty and the safety of their bridges. Last year the campaign #NoLoveLocks managed to russle up support for the ban of lovelocks and Parisian local authority began to remove locks from all its bridges, particularly Pont des Arts, which is one of the worst affected.

 Pont de l'Archevêché

Pont de l’Archevêché Image by JD

But it didn’t take long for the locks to find their way back onto the bridges. The campaign is back this year and is inviting people to use the hashtag #NoLoveLocksDay on the very day dedicated to lovers and couples – Valentine’s Day! In a tongue-in-cheek initiative, the campaign is asking people to explain why they don’t want the locks on their bridges and use the hashtag.

“We are not finished with our work,” Lisa Anselmo, one of the founders of No Love Locks, told Mashable. “Until there is a ban on the practice, Paris will never get a handle on the situation here, which has become a kind of mania with little respect for Parisians or their heritage sites.”