Protesters ignore St Paul's plea to go

Protesters camped outside St Paul's Cathedral today vowed to stay put despite being warned that their demonstration could lead to its closure.

Church officials say the 200 tents around the cathedral - part of the Occupy London Stock Exchange protests - are stopping visitors getting in and have led to a big drop in takings.

They issued a statement saying that the "increased scale and nature" of the ever-growing camp had forced them to review whether the cathedral could stay open to worshippers and visitors.

But the demonstrators, who set up camp on Saturday after being blocked from entering the nearby London Stock Exchange, said they had no plans to leave.

A representative said today that they were expecting large numbers to come to demonstration events over the weekend. He added: "We contacted the church yesterday, there is not the risk of eviction, they referred to some issues with health and safety. We are staying."

The Standard revealed yesterday that St Paul's had seen a 50 per cent drop in revenue since the protesters moved in.

A statement by the cathedral's Dean said: "Is it now time for the protest camp to leave? The consequences of a decision to close St Paul's cannot be taken lightly."

This morning metal fences were in place to stop tents blocking cathedral access points.
The City of London Corporation has no immediate plans to take action to evict the protesters.