Eviction notice tells St Paul's protesters to leave today

An eviction notice is attached to a tent by a City of London Corporation employee outside St Paul's Cathedral (Getty Images)

Protesters camping outside St Paul's Cathedral have been served with an eviction notice, pictured, by the City of London Corporation.

It gives the activists until 6pm today to remove all tents on the site or face legal action. The corporation, the local authority which runs the Square Mile, said it had become concerned over "worrying trends" at the camp, including late-night drinking. Protesters insisted last night that they would fight any attempt to remove them. Naomi Colvin, an Occupy London spokeswoman, said: "It is not something we need to be remotely worried about. We are aware of our legal position and the likely time frame of any action."

The camp began last month when demonstrators tried to occupy the London Stock Exchange to protest against corporate greed. The decision by the Corporation to have the activists removed comes a day after New York police cleared Zuccotti Park, where protesters from the Occupy Wall Street movement had been camped since September.