DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has cut off the ‘love locks’ which had been attached to Dublin city’s Ha’penny Bridge and has asked couples to refrain from adding any more.

The padlocks, which are added by couples as a very public symbol of their love for each other, could damage the protected structure, the Council has said.

“This seems to have only started happening in the last few months and we’re asking people not to do it,” a spokesperson for Dublin City Council told TheJournal.ie.

Some locks have also been removed from the Millennium Bridge, close to the Ha’penny Bridge in the city centre, the Council said.

The padlocks have been criticised for being an eyesore on public structures. They can also cause further damage when they have to be removed, the Council said.

The spokesperson confirmed that the Council will continue to remove the locks from any bridges they appear on in the city centre.

The tradition of attaching padlocks to public structures as a symbol of love is a recent one in Ireland, but has mushroomed in many cities in Europe over the past decade.

In some cases couples inscribe their names onto the padlock or throw the keys into the nearby water as a symbol of their ‘everlasting’ love.

The Ha’penny Bridge is one of the most well-known landmarks in Dublin city centre. The bridge opened in 1816 and links Temple Bar with Liffey Street.

Council employee Pat Foran removed the padlocks from the bridge yesterday – here’s some pics: