diff --git a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/io.hpp b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/io.hpp
index 8ba186e1..88f7f174 100644
--- a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/io.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/io.hpp
@@ -174,6 +174,79 @@ namespace boost { namespace numeric { namespace ublas {
         return is;
     }
 
+    // Special input operator for symmetrix_matrix
+    template<class E, class T, class MT, class MF1, class MF2, class MA>
+    // BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE This function seems to be big. So we do not let the compiler inline it.
+    std::basic_istream<E, T> &operator >> (std::basic_istream<E, T> &is,
+                                           symmetric_matrix<MT, MF1, MF2, MA> &m) {
+        typedef typename symmetric_matrix<MT, MF1, MF2, MA>::size_type size_type;
+        E ch;
+        size_type size1, size2;
+        MT value;
+        if (is >> ch && ch != '[') {
+            is.putback (ch);
+            is.setstate (std::ios_base::failbit);
+        } else if (is >> size1 >> ch && ch != ',') {
+            is.putback (ch);
+            is.setstate (std::ios_base::failbit);
+        } else if (is >> size2 >> ch && (size2 != size1 || ch != ']')) { // symmetric matrix must be square
+            is.putback (ch);
+            is.setstate (std::ios_base::failbit);
+        } else if (! is.fail ()) {
+            symmetric_matrix<MT, MF1, MF2, MA> s (size1, size2);
+            if (is >> ch && ch != '(') {
+                is.putback (ch);
+                is.setstate (std::ios_base::failbit);
+             } else if (! is.fail ()) {
+                for (size_type i = 0; i < size1; i ++) {
+                    if (is >> ch && ch != '(') {
+                        is.putback (ch);
+                        is.setstate (std::ios_base::failbit);
+                        break;
+                    }
+                    for (size_type j = 0; j < size2; j ++) {
+                        if (is >> value >> ch && ch != ',') {
+                            is.putback (ch);
+                            if (j < size2 - 1) {
+                                is.setstate (std::ios_base::failbit);
+                                break;
+                            }
+                        }
+                        if (i <= j) { 
+                             // this is the first time we read this element - set the value
+                            s(i,j) = value;
+                        }
+                        else if ( s(i,j) != value ) {
+                            // matrix is not symmetric
+                            is.setstate (std::ios_base::failbit);
+                            break;
+                        }
+                     }
+                     if (is >> ch && ch != ')') {
+                         is.putback (ch);
+                         is.setstate (std::ios_base::failbit);
+                         break;
+                     }
+                     if (is >> ch && ch != ',') {
+                        is.putback (ch);
+                        if (i < size1 - 1) {
+                             is.setstate (std::ios_base::failbit);
+                             break;
+                        }
+                     }
+                }
+                if (is >> ch && ch != ')') {
+                    is.putback (ch);
+                    is.setstate (std::ios_base::failbit);
+                }
+            }
+            if (! is.fail ())
+                m.swap (s);
+        }
+        return is;
+    }
+ 
+
 }}}
 
 #endif