Occupy London comes to a halt!

Occupy London protesters leave Barbican building

Occupy London protesters who took over a fifth site in the capital have left the office building they had occupied.

Protesters said they "occupied" the building in the early hours

Demonstrators ended their occupation of the building in the Barbican of their own accord, City Of London Police said.

Up to 20 people moved into Roman House, on Fore Street, Barbican, early on Saturday, an Occupy spokesman said.

The owners, Berkeley Homes, have secured the empty building, which was "not safe for public use" and police officers are no longer at the site.

The Occupy campaigners had said they planned to "open the building to the public" on Monday.

However Naomi Colvin, of the group, said they had moved out to avoid putting the jobs at risk of those working on Roman House, and not because of safety concerns.

Legal advice

"Contractors employed by Berkeley Homes contacted us directly and asked us to reconsider," Ms Colvin told the BBC.

"While they fully supported our cause they had expressed concerns about their project being mothballed due to our presence on the site."

She said that while most residents in the area had welcomed the protesters there were "mixed feelings" about them.

"Generally [though] we had a good and enthusiastic response from locals," Ms Colvin continued.

"This has galvanised our group and we fully intend to resume our protests on Monday in a public area near the Barbican."

On Saturday, Berkeley Homes described the group's actions at Roman House as "misguided".

"It is not safe for public use, there are holes in the floors and we are in the early stages of asbestos removal," a spokesman said.

He said the firm had taken legal advice because of concerns for the safety of the group.

Guess we weren't the only people occupying something. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go occupy the restroom. Don't forget to flush after you leave...because THAT guy said it!

**courtesy of BBC News London**