PROTESTERS LEAVE THEIR CITY CENTRE BASE

This article is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Protesters leave their city centre base

Protesters from the Occupy Leicester campaign have left the city centre after being evicted from the empty offices they had made their base.

Three members of the group remained at offices above The disused Litten Tree pub, in High Street, when a legal order requiring them to quit the property came into force at midday on Saturday.

They moved in there a week ago having spent five weeks in a tent encampment in High Street protesting against alleged Government corruption and greed. Spud Cabon, 18, from Leicester, said: "We're a bit disappointed because this feels like a defeat and that is not in our nature, but we do intend to come back early in the new year."

The lease to the office is held by Safe Computing Ltd, who applied for the court order.

Safe Computing managing director Sandy Scott said: "There are no hard feelings. I was in the Orange Tree, taking my staff for a drink, and I recognised a couple of them from the court case so I offered to buy them a pint which, eventually they accepted."