Bale of straw dangles below London bridge in bizarre tradition

An ancient by-law forced workers to dangle a bundle of straw below London’s Millennium Bridge while they carried out urgent maintenance.

Its owners City Bridge Foundation (CBF) said the footbridge, which opened in 2001, is not dangerous but a separation layer under the bridge deck has started to degrade and needs a deep clean.

Posting images of the bizarre spectacle on X/Twitter, CBF explained: “In accordance with ancient tradition (and the Port of London Thames Byelaws) a bundle of straw is dangled from Millennium Bridge to warn shipping of work under the bridge (we’re not making this up, honest).”