Squatters moved from £22.5m house

A group of squatters was cleared from a £22.5 million Mayfair house today and the property was placed under 24-hour surveillance, the owner's solicitor said.

The central London building, which is two linked houses, was taken back by bailiffs, Andrew Jeffrey of Stitt and Co said.

He said: "The squatters had mainly cleared out and taken their stuff with them, although they left some things in there and there were two or three squatters left when the bailiff arrived."

The house is being inspected for damage, although the squatters maintained they would not harm the property.

One wrote an internet blog under the name luckyjim, which said: "We've turned a private space into a public one, bringing a long-dead building back to life, whilst respecting its heritage."

The group ran free workshops while they occupied the house. According to reports, they were previously evicted from a multimillion-pound home in Upper Grosvenor Square.

Extra security has been put in place, including steel shutters at the Grade II*-listed building that was reclaimed today, which is one address in Charles Street linked with another in Clarges Mews.

It was cleared after Central London County Court ruled yesterday that owner Timekeeper Ltd could take back possession immediately.

Mr Jeffrey said the firm plans to renovate the property, which had been left empty because it was in a state of disrepair.