A landmark UK bridge famous for its signs instructing troops to break step has been closed to traffic.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea closed Albert Bridge as a precaution in response to a routine highways inspection. The closure of the structure which connects Battersea and Chelsea will allow engineers to assess the inspection’s findings and decide what action to take.

The bridge opened in 1873 and is one of just two bridges in London that have never been replaced (the other is Tower Bridge). Its design by Rowland Mason Ordish with later amendments by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, is a combination of suspension bridge and a cable-stayed bridge. Its elaborate gothic-style cast-iron towers stand on 10t piers of the same material, which were floated down the river from Battersea. Its paintwork