Police, bailiffs and council workers clear College Green in Bristol, after most of the campers decided to leave voluntarily
The largest British Occupy camp outside London has been cleared.
Police, bailiffs and council workers arrived at College Green in Bristol at 4.30am on Tuesday and began demolishing the handful of shacks left. A metal fence was set up around the green and workers cleared piles of rubbish.
Police, including mounted officers, stood by but the Avon and Somerset force said there were no arrests and the operation was a peaceful one.
Most of the campers decided to leave voluntarily after the council, which manages the site, obtained a possession order from the county court.
One protester, George, who had been there from the start, remained at the weekend but he too had vanished by the time the clearance began. One person who was at the camp when the eviction took place left peacefully.
Bristol city council said members of Occupy Bristol had made a "sustained" effort to help with the clear-up of the site, which is owned by Bristol cathedral. Both the council and the cathedral said important issues had been raised by the camp.
The dean of Bristol, the Rev David Hoyle, said: "We and the city council have listened to the Occupy movement throughout the three months they have been on College Green." He said it was sad that legal proceedings had been used to "reclaim the land for the use of Bristolians".
"This protest, as with those around the UK and abroad, has laid down a real challenge for us and for others to reflect on issues of privilege, greed and justice," Hoyle said. "Many of the global economic, sustainability and social justice issues espoused by some in the camp have always been of equal concern to the church."
Barbara Janke, the leader of the council, said: "It is absolutely right that College Green is returned back to its primary use as a space for all to enjoy and use. Together with the dean, we have said from the very first day that while we respected the group's right to protest, the occupation of College Green was unlawful.
"The protest has raised some important issues and we have listened and responded to those. However the concerns around their continued presence in such a well loved space justify today's action to remove the last few protesters who decided not to leave voluntarily."