St Paul's protest: Occupy London camp evicted

The operation, which began just after midnight, was mostly peaceful but there were 20 arrests.

Occupy London was last week refused permission to appeal against a High Court decision to allow their eviction to proceed, BBC News reports.

The City of London Corporation said it "regretted" that it had become necessary to evict the protesters.

Occupy London, which campaigns against corporate greed, set up the camp on 15 October.

Protesters in the square outside the Cathedral stressed their action was far from over, but most did not resist police and bailiffs as they removed tents and other equipment from the site.

'Drama of event'

A handful defied police by erecting a temporary structure from wooden pallets in the square outside the Cathedral but the platform was eventually dismantled.

The High Court decided that the City of London Corporation's move to evict the camp was "lawful and justified".

The City of London Corporation was granted orders of possession and injunctions by the court.

The Court of Appeal's decision not to allow an appeal meant the corporation was free to clear the site.

George Barda, one of the five protesters who appealed against the High Court's decision, told the BBC he had "mixed emotions".

But he said: "It's not the beginning of the end, it's the end of the beginning.

"My personal concern is that we don't allow the drama of this event to eclipse the huge and important issues that we in this country and billions across the world are increasingly facing.

"And I have no doubt that as the economic situation gets worse in the coming years, more and more people will be joining this movement."

There was also an eviction of an Occupy campaign site at Featherstone Street in Islington, north London, which campaigners say was a legally occupied squat.

Details also at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17187180