Padlocks adorn the Pont des Arts. The nine-arch metallic footbridge, completed in 1804, is one of the most romantic places of the capital. People visit it to attach love padlocks displaying their initials or messages of love, before throwing the key into the River Seine. (Yves Forestier/Getty Images)

This Valentine's Day, some people will go to extreme lengths to prove their love to their sweethearts, perhaps with acrazy marriage proposalor aromantic getaway to a heart-shaped island. But some people will choose to seal their love with a Master Lock in a bridge over the River Seine in Paris.

The Pont des Arts bridge has become a popular destination for lovers in the City of Light looking to prove their undying love by attaching a padlock engraved with their initials to the bridge, and throwing the key into the Seine below. The public display of affection has been so popular the last few years that the Pont des Arts is almost weighed down by thousands of these "love locks," which can be seen glittering in the sunlight from the banks of the Seine.

But while Paris is known as the City of Love, many locals have complained that the locks are defacing the city's landmarks, according to the Wall Street Journal. Rust, pollution and the thousands of keys littering the bottom of the Seine are just some of their concerns.

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Safety issues for the people in the boats which pass under the bridge have also been raised, with officials warning that the weight of the metal could cause a fatal accident. ""The issue of weight on the parapets has become very important," Jean-Pierre Lecoq, the mayor of the 6th arrondisement (district), which has jurisdiction for this bridge, told USA TODAY. "Certain sections of the guardrail have given way with quite significant risk of them falling on people sitting in the boats that pass under the bridge."

Last year, Lecoq called for the locks to be completely removed from the bridge every six months, according to The Local.Paris authorities are said to be regularly monitoring the pressure that the weight exerts on the bridge's structure.

Romantics looking to leave their permanent tokens of love in Paris will be happy to know that there are alternatives to the Pont des Arts.The Passerelle Léopold-Sédar Senghor, between the Musée D’Orsay and Jardin des Tuileries, is another popular spot for love locks. Padlocks have also been spotted in the Great Wall of China and the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

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