London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 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

0:00
0:00
Close
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
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×