Occupy London Stock exchange
© EPAOccupy London Stock exchange has been camped outside St. Paul's Cathedral since last October

After winning a High Court injunction, police move in to dismantle the Occupy London site outside St Paul's Cathedral.

Police and bailiffs began evicting British occupy activists from a protest camp outside St Paul's Cathedral in London in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

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

The Court of Appeal's decision meant the City of London Corporation was free to clear the site.

The corporation said in a statement: "The City of London Corporation has begun to enforce the High Court orders for the removal of the tents and equipment outside St Paul's.

"We regret that it has come to this but the High Court Judgment speaks for itself and the Court of Appeal has confirmed that judgment.

Police told the Reuters news agency that the bailiffs had moved in just after midnight to remove tents and equipment and police were standing by.

As the eviction began, some protesters attempted to wear their tents as clothing and others used wooden pallets to form barricades. There were no immediate reports of arrests.

On their twitter page, the Occupy London Stock exchange tweeted: "Police arrive at St Paul's. look to be kettling (barricading) the tents."

The corporation urged the activists, who were inspired by the US Occupy Wall Street protest, to "move on peacefully".

They say they are exercising freedom of speech and drawing attention to a warped capitalist system that spawned a global financial crisis.

Local authorities claim the camp has harmed nearby businesses, caused waste and hygiene problems and attracted crime and disorder.

Last week, a court rejected the protesters' challenge to the eviction order, ruling that the right to protest did not justify a semi-permanent camp on a public pathway.

The protesters have been camped outside the 300-year-old church since October.