The sappiest and silliest expression of eternal affection in Paris over the past decade has been the “love lock”.

What whispers “be mine” quite as beguilingly as a big, ugly, heavy brass padlock attached to a bridge in Paris? And left behind to become an eyesore as it begins to rust away?

But this has been a “thing” in Paris for several years now, and it has become a structural problem for certain bridges as well as a form of visual pollution, and two years ago calls were made to ban the practice.

Sixty-five tons of locks have been removed from Paris bridges over the past year-and-a-half, since it was decided that the extra weight of all those locks were causing structural damage.

And now the city has some ideas about finding a significant way to dispose of all that cold medal.

A deputy mayor of Paris, Bruno Julliard, has suggested the city sell locks as souvenirs with the proceeds going to refugee groups.

Julliard said: “Members of the public can buy five or 10 locks, or even clusters of them, all at an affordable price.

“All of the proceeds will be given to those who work in support and in solidarity of the refugees in Paris.”

That would suggest a meaningful end for at least some of the one million (!) locks taken off the bridges.

French authorities say most of the locks were put up by tourists. It is possible, just, to imagine a pair of foreign lovers, intoxicated by the city and each other, wanting to leave behind a lasting indicator of their time there.

Possible to imagine the first 100,000 locks, maybe. But after that it the “love lock” became a bit trite, wouldn’t you say?

Look at the photo with The Guardian story … and it’s clear the later embracers of the fad had to force a space open to get their own lock on the bridge.

At any rate, perhaps Paris can generate some funds for charity, and perhaps lovers visiting the city can come up with a new way of showing it that doesn’t smack of vandalism.

Flowers, maybe?