British expat warns against ‘love padlock’ vandalism in Lanzarote
A British resident in Lanzarote has warned that the growing trend of “love locks” is becoming an environmental problem on the island, calling it a form of vandalism that is being ignored. David Gainford is a travel agent and YouTube creator who regularly publishes videos about life in Lanzarote.
He recently uploaded a video where he talked about the “explosion of love locks” appearing in popular tourist areas across the island and said that while Lanzarote is “a paradise to visit and an excellent place to celebrate love,” attaching padlocks to railings and viewpoints is not the right way to do it. “It’s basically vandalism,” he warned.
He also criticised local shops for selling plastic padlocks and permanent markers to holidaymakers, who see it as a romantic gesture but are in fact damaging the landscape. “Someone clearly thought this could be a goldmine, and they’re cashing in by selling plastic love locks. They’re horrible. They just fade, rust, and pollute the island,” he explained. “This is plastic contamination at its worst. I ask environmentalists, are you going to deal with the problem that’s right in front of your eyes? It has to stop, and it has to stop now.”
The practice of attaching love locks has gone viral in tourist destinations around the world over the past two decades. Couples often engrave their names or initials on the padlocks before fixing them to railings or fences and throwing away the key, claiming it symbolises unbreakable love.
The trend is believed to have been inspired by Federico Moccia’s 2006 novel Ho voglia di te (I Want You), and its subsequent film adaptation. In one famous scene, the main characters fix a padlock to a lamppost on Rome’s Milvio Bridge before tossing the key into the River Tiber. Fans soon began copying the gesture all over the world.
In some places, authorities have been forced to intervene; city officials in Paris removed thousands of locks from the Pont des Arts in 2015 after the sheer weight of more than 45 tonnes of metal threatened the bridge’s structural safety.
Gainford is now urging both visitors and environmental groups to take the issue seriously in Lanzarote before it becomes another widespread problem.
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