In Bruges: Tourists steal cobblestones from historic city
Travel
Tourism
"How can all those canals and bridges and cobbled streets and those churches, all that beautiful fairytale stuff, how can that not be somebody's thing?"
So goes the famous quotation from the film In Bruges - aside from a few removed expletives - but those very same cobbled streets in the real city of Bruges are causing quite the stir.
Tourists visiting the city are being blamed for an average of 70 cobblestones going missing every month.
The theft is set to cost the city around £283,000 in repairs as they take action to prevent future stealing.
The loose stones are being taken from tourist hotspots especially "busy areas," explains Public Works councillor Franky Demon.
'That number is too high and shows we need to take action,' he adds.
This action includes removing the loose stones, cleaning them, and relaying them on a stronger sand-cement base.
'A loose cobblestone is simply easier to take,' Mr Demon said.
He concludes: 'This not only prevents loose stones but also results in safer streets without the need for expensive, time-consuming reconstruction.'
Bruges, known for being a beautiful medieval city, with a famous clocktower and local delicacies like French fries with mayonnaise will be hoping these works change the attitude of tourists for the better.
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