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A distinctive water feature near Tower Bridge has been bricked up amid concerns that Londoners staring at smartphones could trip and fall in.

The Rill, a 260m channel flowing through limestone paving, has connected London Bridge station to the riverside as part of the More London complex for more than 15 years.

Over the past fortnight it has been fenced off, drained and bricked up, with signs stating “essential maintenance” is being carried out.

Broadgate Estates, which manages More London, declined to say why the Rill has been removed, but it is believed to be related to health and safety concerns.

Scores of Londoners have taken to Twitter to complain, with one blaming the “alarming number of people” who trip over the Rill while looking at their mobile phones.

Others agreed that they were sad to see the water feature go, saying it added an “element of play to an otherwise corporate space”.

Lib Dem councillor for Borough and Bankside ward, Adele Morris said: “[It's] such a shame to see these water channels blocked up at More London, as things like that brighten up the otherwise boring public realm.

“Maybe they were a hazard to those with restricted vision or mobility, but if that is the case what a pity they couldn't find a workable solution.”

Sarah Gaventa, a public space expert, told the Standard that alternative measures could have been taken to make the feature safer without removing it completely.

She said: "It really was the most distinctive thing about a very indistinctive public space. It had a quality about it which was not just visual.

"It really struck a chord with a lot of people when they started bricking it up. If it's to do with people not looking and tripping, then you could say the same thing abut curbs and fences."

Ian Kirkpatrick, commercial director of the Fountain Workshop, who built the water features at More London, said he was “sad to see it go”.

“We have no idea why they chose to infill the Rill - they didn’t discuss their decision with us, but we are sad to see it go,” he told the Standard.

“It has been an iconic feature for us and has contributed to us becoming involved in a host of other projects, such as Granary Square at King’s Cross.”

The Fountain Workshop’s website states that the Rill was designed to “maximise the effect of the flowing water, creating chevrons of ripples as the rill travels through the site”.

A planning application was lodged with Southwark Council to pave the Rill last month, sparking a flurry of objections.

“The Rill water feature may be a somewhat idiosyncratic feature, but it is an attractive feature which adds greatly to the character, distinctiveness and enjoyment of this public space,” states one.

“The Rill adds character and children enjoy playing with it. Filling it in will make the area a boring concrete corridor between office blocks,” writes another.

The planning documents state that the water channel will be blocked up in a way that will allow it to possibly be reopened in the future. A final decision has not yet been made by the council, despite the fact the Rill has already been bricked up.