Officials have admitted that St Paul's Cathedral, London, could be forced to close to visitors and worshippers as a result of anti-capitalism protests being staged in the churchyard.

In a statement, the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's said the cathedral had remained open on a reduced basis since the protests started, although the increasing scale could lead to closure.

The statement read: "The increased scale and nature of the protest camp is such that to act safely and responsibly the cathedral must now review the extent to which it can remain open.

"Is it now time for the protest camp to leave? The consequences of a decision to close St Paul's cannot be taken lightly."

A spokesperson for London and Partners added: "St Paul's is in the top ten of UK visitor attractions and boasts more than 1.5 million visitors a year of which a large amount of their funding is a result of visitors.

"Therefore we do hope that demonstrators will work with the Cathedral team to ensure it can remain open for worshippers, visitors and schools."

Details: www.stpauls.co.uk