Traffic in central London was left gridlocked after Tower Bridge became stuck open for more than an hour due to a “mechanical fault”.
Social media users vented their frustration as the famous bridge failed to close after allowing a ship to pass through along the River Thames on Saturday afternoon.
Pictures showed queues of motorists and pedestrians waiting for at least an hour from both directions.
A witness told the PA news agency: “According to the security radios we overheard there are multiple failures.”
Its Twitter account said: “Tower Bridge is currently closed to pedestrians and traffic, due to a mechanical fault.”
⛔️ ROAD CLOSURE ⛔️
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. @Squarehighways @TfLTrafficNews
— City of London Police (@CityPolice) August 22, 2020
One social media user said: “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.”
The 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.
A London Bridge spokesman has been approached to comment.
