Padlock Nuisance

We were wondering about this: a whole tangle of padlocks suddenly appears and grows near a famous site, like dozens and dozens, one attached to another. The other day on a tour (from the British Institute), my tour guide mentioned them briefly as “keepsakes”. The guide said that people attach the lock and throw the key into the river. It is suppose to symbolize love of the city or love between the lovers who attached the lock. Whatever it is, there is 50 Euro fine for doing it. It’s plain stupid. Please if you have eternal love for the city or someone else; proclaim it with your voice, or a drawing. Tangles of locks are not exactly great to look at, plus they are potentially a safety hazard (okay how old am I?). More on where this originated. The Wikipedia article seems to imply that on the Ponte Vecchio there is a shop on the bridge selling locks. I never saw this shop, will have to check.