A YORK couple say they are heartbroken after their 'lovelock' was removed from York's Millennium Bridge.

Paul Fursdon and his fiancée Lisa Bower say they will never forgive council officials for removing their padlock from the bridge.

The Press reported earlier this week how about 300 padlocks had been removed by City of York Council from mesh fencing on one side of the bridge over the River Ouse because officials feared they could compromise the bridge's safety and durability, following problems on a bridge in Paris.

Mr Fursdon said he and Lisa had placed their lovelock on the bridge a month or so ago after seeing all the other locks on it. "We instantly felt we wanted to be part of this amazing show of love in a world full of hate and anger," he said.

"We are both deeply in love and spent much time and cost to show our love. We were planning on returning to see our lock over the years and remember that same love for ever more but then I read the article and now it feels like this wondrous thing has been turned into something wrong.

"Our hearts are truly broken and for this we can never forgive the City of York."

Fishergate councillor Andy D'Agorne said the bridge had been designed as a social space and meeting place as well as a functional pedestrian and cycle link, and a balance was needed between ensuring safety and catering for its social uses, adding: "Perhaps a solution might be a designated strengthened panel where they could be safely attached?"

Laura Tanner, of Hearts Together, Love Forever of Leicester, which sells specifically designed lovelocks, said it had begun working with local authorities and venues to provide dedicated spots where they could be attached.

Russell Stone, the council's Head of Public Realm, said: “There were 300 locks on Millennium Bridge and, as has been shown in Europe, these numbers can grow considerably and cause damage due to their weight and rusting.

"We would consider working with a group that could provide somewhere people could put their locks without risk – and where they could return to find them in years to come.”