London’s Tower Bridge is stuck OPEN causing traffic chaos in the capital
- Crossing opened earlier today to allow a ship to sail down the River Thames
- But the bridge’s arms, known as bascules, failed to close again afterwards
- Passersby say they have now been waiting to cross for more than an hour
London‘s Tower Bridge remains stuck open as traffic in the capital is left in chaos.
The historic crossing opened at around 4pm today to allow a ship travelling down the River Thames to pass through.
But the bridge’s arms, known as bascules, failed to close again afterwards with passersby reporting that they have now been waiting to cross for more than an hour.
London’s Tower Bridge remains stuck open this afternoon leaving traffic in the capital in chaos (pictured)
One wrote: ‘I’ve been stuck here for nearly an hour now… #TowerBridge.’
Another commented: ‘Yep, tower bridge definitely stuck! One side started to come down but the other didn’t! #towerbridge #londontraffic.’
And a third added: ‘#TowerBridge opened almost an hour ago and it hasn’t closed back yet. It looks stuck and the two parts aren’t symmetrical.’
Traffic is said to be at a standstill in both directions with drivers being warned to expect severe delays.
Passersby are reporting that they have been waiting to cross the bridge in central London for more than an hour
Traffic is said to be at a standstill in both directions with drivers being warned to expect severe delays
It is thought that those already on the bridge at the time were told via a tannoy system to find an alternative route.
City of London Police also urged people to stay away from the area in a tweet that read: ‘Tower Bridge is currently closed to pedestrians and traffic, due a mechanical fault.
‘Mechanics are currently working hard to fix the bridge. Please find alternative routes.’
It is not the first time that the iconic crossing has suffered a technical fault.
Hundreds of pedestrians were forced to huddle together as they queued in on the approach to Tower Bridge in London after the bridge became stuck open
People have taken to social media in their droves to share updates over the apparent technical fault
In 2005 police closed the bridge for 10 hours after a technical problem prevented the arms from being lowered.
The suspension bridge, which is also a popular tourist attraction, directly connects the Square Mile financial district to Southwark.
Each of its bascules weigh more than 12 tons with a 400 ton counterweight to help them descend after lifting to allow river traffic to pass through.
More follows.