The Eiffel Tower, Paris’ most iconic landmark, has been closed for two consecutive days by a strike over working conditions.

There was been talk of the attraction re-opening on the afternoon of Wednesday June 26, but in the morning tourists were still being turned away.

American tourist Jamie Mc Nulty complained: “It’s disappointing, coming here and spending this much money to come here, and then you can’t come to the one landmark that people probably want to see most.”

Workers at the tower have long-running grievances over how repairs have been managed.

The length of time taken to renovate one of the lifts, five years and counting, is a particular bone of contention.

A CGT union representative told journalists: “We’re on strike because we’ve been complaining about the handling of maintenance work for several years. It’s had a severe effect on how we cope with visitors and also on our working conditions.”

Built in 1889, the Eiffel Tower has become one of the most visited monuments in the world – welcoming some seven million sight-seers a year.