Pickpockets force Paris Eiffel Tower staff walk-out

The Eiffel Tower in Paris has been closed to the public as staff stage a walk-out to protest against a surge in pickpocketing gangs in its area.

Workers say the gangs are increasingly threatening them with assault or abuse.

The company managing the major tourist attraction said it was working with police to guarantee the security of staff and the public, but "regrets that visitors... are being punished".

The 126-year-old iron lattice tower has become a glittering symbol of Paris.

'Fight among themselves'

Staff says that "formal guarantees" are needed from management to stop pick pocketing gangs who target numerous tourists every day.

The thieves "form a gang of four to five people", and sometimes there can be about 30 of them surrounding the tower, one of the striking workers told the AFP news agency. Occasionally they even "fight among themselves".

Another striker said that he had been threatened while chasing away a pickpocket: "He said to me, 'why don't you let us work... if this continues you will have problems'."

A similar closure took place in April 2013 when the Louvre art gallery disappointed hundreds of tourists by closing down after staff complained of being spat at, abused and even assaulted by pickpocketing gangs.

More police were sent to protect the museum, which is visited by 10 million tourists every year.

Paris hosted 22 million visitors in 2014 according to city figures, and is one of the world's top tourist hotspots in addition to being a magnet for tricksters and pickpockets who especially target wealthy Asian tourists.

The daily Liberation newspaper reported on Friday that about 26,000 police and municipal agents would be deployed in the city throughout the summer to deal with the pickpocketing threat.

The tower will re-open to the public on Saturday.