Press Association

Three held after bank occupied

Police have arrested three people on suspicion of trespass after Occupy London protesters took over a former City bank.

The group of anti-capitalist demonstrators entered a branch of the Iraqi Rafidain Bank on Leadenhall Street on Friday. It has been empty since it went into administration last year.

An Occupy London spokesman said they wanted to use the building as the home for their Bank of Ideas - a "community space" for lectures, workshops and debates, which was based in the UBS building in Hackney until a possession order was enforced on Thursday.

However, City of London police confirmed that the premises had been emptied and three people arrested after serving notice on those inside.

A police spokeswoman said: "City of London police arrested three people on suspicion of trespass on diplomatic premises after a number of people entered a property on Leadenhall Street.

"Officers had earlier served notice that those in the building were committing a criminal offence and several left at that point. The building is now clear."

Other Occupy London demonstrators have been camped outside St Paul's Cathedral since October.