Eiffel Tower in Paris shut in dispute over 'monstrous' queues

Staff are angry over a decision to start setting aside half of the Eiffel Tower's daily tickets for people who buy them online and choose a scheduled time for their visit. [AFP]

Staff at the Eiffel Tower shut down the Paris landmark on Wednesday afternoon in protest over a new access policy which they say is generating "monstrous" queues for tourists.

Access to the monument, which welcomed more than six million visitors last year, was blocked from 1400 GMT, according to a sign at the base of the tower.