Bailiff 'drove car into group of occupy activists'

A bailiff involved in an eviction at an Occupy London site was arrested on suspicion of assault and criminal damage yesterday.

Members of the protest movement claimed he drove his car into them, carrying one person on the bonnet for about 100 yards, and punched a press photographer while clearing two buildings belonging to the UBS bank.

Jules Mattsson, the photographer, said: "I took two or three frames of one of the bailiffs, then he just took a big step towards me and hit me. He hit my camera from the side, breaking a £600 lens and catching me in the face. When people are trying to stop the press from accurately reporting events, it becomes an issue of press freedom."

Around 60 protesters remained on the streets when the two buildings in the City of London were cleared by bailiffs, according to witnesses.

A spokesman for Rossendales bailiffs said one of its employees had been asked to attend a police station to provide a statement.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police confirmed a 45-year-old man man was arrested following allegations of assault and criminal damage. UBS refused to comment.

Demonstrators camped at the foot of the steps of St Paul's Cathedral were told yesterday they could stay until 13 February. An appeal against a High Court order allowing their eviction from the site has been set for that date and the City of London Corporation will not begin the eviction until the appeal is decided.