Saskatoon couples have embraced the tradition of placing a lock with initials engraved as a sign of their everlasting love, but those symbolic promises of forever have now been removed by the city.

The locks were collected on the stairway leading up to the city's romantic wooden rail bridge that spans the South Saskatchewan River, near the weir.

City hall, however, isn't buying into the romance of love locks.

The locks were unceremoniously removed Wednesday.

Here's what the city's Director of Transportation Angela Gardiner told reporters in an e-mail:

"As part of regular spring cleaning and maintenance City crews removed the locks attached to the CPR bridge staircase. The City maintains the staircase and walkway. City crews can't do repairs or paint and preserve the staircase fencing if locks are attached. The locks have the potential to damage the fencing and in turn will cause unnecessary repairs which cost the City more. The locks are also a safety hazard if they rust through or come loose and fall to the path and parking lot below. Unfortunately, we see this as no different than someone drawing a love heart on city property with a marker or someone carving their sweetheart's initials into a tree. This will damage city amenities that are there for everyone, and we have to protect those assets."