Facebook Group Announcement from Derbyshire County Council

21st August 2024

Hello everyone,

We know there’s been a lot of suggestions and discussions from members of this group as well as local councillors and residents following the county council’s announcement a few weeks ago of the essential maintenance to the Weir footbridge in Bakewell, starting on Monday, 16 September, which requires the removal of the love locks attached to the bridge.

Prior to our announcement about the repairs we need to carry out, we had spent time looking at alternative options to relocate the locks to a nearby site in Bakewell.

Despite our best efforts, it has proved very difficult to find a suitable location for the locks, complicated by the fact that we don’t own any land nearby to display them.

We’ve been moved by the many personal stories and comments people have shared about the significance of the love locks.

Once we’d read and discussed the announcement published on various news websites this week about a potential new home for any love locks remaining on the bridge when the work starts, we’re happy to confirm how we can help.

We will carefully remove the love locks from the bridge and give them to Mr Richard Young and other supporters of the Save the Love Locks Facebook group to plan a way forward for their display with the community.

We do not want to stand in the way of the generous offer to display the existing love locks nearby and are pleased they’ve been able to find a new home.

As requested, we are hoping to be able to remove the locks, string by string and section by section so that they can be kept together and reinstated by the group, and we will confirm the arrangements with Mr Young over the coming weeks.

We’d like to thank this group, Bakewell Town Council, Councillor Paul Morgans and our county councillors along with many others for their help and support for securing a positive way forward to meet the needs of all concerned.

In the meantime, if you would rather remove your lock from the bridge, you are advised to do this by Sunday, 15th September.

Our repair works will commence first thing the following day, on Monday, 16 September, and the bridge will be closed to all members of the public for the duration of the works.

As a team, many of whom live in and around Bakewell, we recognise the significance of the locks and have wholeheartedly strived to secure an appropriate new home for them.

Thank you.

The Derbyshire highways team.

Derbyshire County Council Press Releases