London’s Tower Bridge glass walkway smashed by beer bottle

Thames attraction has ‘sacrificial pane’ replaced two weeks after opening

A visitor crosses Tower Bridge’s new glass walkway in London, which was newly installed on Sunday. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
A visitor crosses Tower Bridge’s new glass walkway in London, which was newly installed on Sunday. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

A £1 million (€1.26 million) glass walkway across London's Tower Bridge was smashed by a beer bottle less than two weeks after the attraction opened.

Part of the top layer of the transparent structure was shattered 42m (138ft) above the river Thames in London.

The glass floor, unveiled on November 10th, gives visitors an unusual perspective of traffic crossing the river and bridge lifts.

According to Chris Earlie, head of Tower Bridge, a sacrificial layer of glass was shattered on Friday evening, when an empty beer bottle fell from a tray being carried by a member of the catering team during an event.

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“The floor was immediately inspected and covered to protect guests from glass splinters.”

He said the panel was replaced on Sunday morning, adding the area stayed open and that no visitors were at risk.

The new glass floor has four layers of glass, with the sacrificial layer on top installed so it can be replaced if damaged, Mr Earlie added.

PA