POLICE AND BALIFFS have evicted protesters at the Occupy London camp outside St Paul’s Cathedral overnight.

20 people were arrested during the dismantling of the camp which began just after midnight. The camp, which had been outside the cathedral since last October, has now been completely cleared.

The City of London Corporation, which is responsible for policing and local government in the area, said that it was “regrettable” that that camp had had to be removed. The eviction followed an order from the High Court.

Activists were told that they had five minutes to pack their tents and leave when the eviction began last night. Most of the protesters did not resist police and balliffs as tents and other equipment were removed from the site, the BBC reports.

The protesters have said that they still plan to use the steps outside St Paul’s Cathedral to host general assemblies and discussions and that their action against corporate greed is far from over.

The High Court had ruled in January that the camp had to leave the area. Activists at the camp had appealed the judgment but the Court of Appeal in London rejected the protesters’ challenge.

“It is regrettable that it had to come to the need for removal but the High Court judgment speaks for itself. The site has now been cleared and the area is undergoing a deep clean,” said Stuart Fraser of the City of London Corporation.