Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Tourists take full advantage of Tower Bridge being closed due to technical fault

People have been making the most of a rare opportunity to stand in the middle of London’s Tower Bridge after it was closed to traffic for a second day.

The famous landmark, which got stuck open yesterday, was fixed at around 5.30pm Sunday, giving people a 24-hour period to conduct a once-in-a-decade photo shoot.

Not quite knowing what to do with all the space, tourists and Londoners alike threw themselves into the air with wild abandon as they enjoyed messing around on the crossing that usually hosts up to 21,000 cars a day.

Others went for the classic ‘let’s make it look like we are holding this thing up’ pose as mechanics urgently tried to fix the fault in the bridge’s mechanism which meant it wouldn’t close.



At one point, a couple even turned up in full wedding gear and stopped for a totally heartfelt romantic moment.

Not wanting to miss out, some decided to take pictures of themselves sharing a drink or doing the splits and one woman brought her dog along to join in the fun.

Another man was spotted lying down in the middle of the road, presumably with little faith in the engineers’ ability to get the bridge working again quickly.

Drivers in London were perhaps not quite so giddy at the prospect of another day of traffic delays after the fault caused gridlock in the city.

The famous bridge’s arms lift around 850 times a year and went up for the routine job of letting a ship pass late yesterday afternoon.

But then they refused to come down again for more than an hour, leaving queues on both sides of the divide.

One witness overheard a staff radio saying there had been ‘multiple failures.’

Eventually the faulty arm was put back in its place but only pedestrians and cyclists were allowed to cross for around 24 hours.

City of London Police have now confirmed all vehicles can use it again.

The closure added to the problems for those trying to cross between north and south London. Hammersmith Bridge is totally shut because it’s been found to be structurally unsafe and nearby Wandsworth and Vauxhall bridges are both in the middle of complex repair projects.

Tower Bridge connects the Square Mile financial district to Southwark.

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

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
×