Parliament Square is now Camp Dustbowl

The Democracy Village has turned Parliament Square into a dustbowl which will cost thousands of pounds in public money and weeks to fix, experts warned today.

Aerial photographs show that the camp, erected on May 1, has stripped almost all the grass from the Unesco World Heritage site.

Campaigners, who today lost their legal battle to remain at the site, admitted they had left it looking an eyesore after lighting fires on the grass.

One protester, Chris Knight, a 67-year-old anthropology professor who was sacked by East London University over comments during the G20 demonstrations, said: "It's not very pretty is it? You could say it's a bit of an eyesore."

So far the occupation has cost the taxpayer £250,000 in legal fees and clean-up work, with "tent loads" of rubbish being removed each day by Westminster council.

Experts warn that thousands of pounds in taxpayers' money will need to be spent to restore the grass.

David Barnes, 44, who runs Harlequin Landscapes, a specialist gardening company, said: "You are looking at about eight weeks' recovery time. You need to scrape up the top soil with a machine and then aerate the ground because it has got so compacted.

"Then you need to over-seed it, and the most important thing is lots of water. It is about £15,000 worth of work to restore it to its former glory."

It comes as campaigners today told how the Democracy Village protest had descended from a so-called peace camp into a refugee camp riven with feuds. Trouble has flared as sparring groups try to evict rivals while others have threatened to call the police over aggressive and drunken behaviour by rough sleepers.

Campaigner Dean Puckett, said: "We're not pretending it's a bed of roses. With the increase in the homeless population comes drink and drug problems. It's a different community now."

The protesters who have pitched in for their causes at world heritage site

Hunger striker Len Miskulin, 59
Claims he has not eaten in 21 days in protest at unnamed "criminals" he alleges have conspired to rob him of his job, home and family.

He said: "I feel awful, very tired and cold and I've had terrible stomach pains the last few days. But I'm going to carry on for as long as it takes. This is my final stand. I don't want to go on the streets begging for my survival."

Gardener Kieran, 20
Liverpudlian was made homeless nine months ago. He said: "I had only been in London for a week when a woman invited me in. First it was about having somewhere to stay but now I'm part of the community."

Tracey Chumley, 41, and Tarquin Bexley, 48
Call themselves the King and Queen of the Common People; long-term rough sleepers who moved to the Square with friends as soon as the camp was started. Ms Chumley said: "I support Brian Haw, but we're also protesting about homelessness."

Anthropology don Chris Knight, 67
The professor of anthropology was fired by the University of East London over his comments during the G20 protests last year. He now lectures part time in Bratislava. He helped found the Democracy Village and often sleeps there.

He said: "These corrupt politicians with their fingers in the till send other people's sons to die, but I've never met a soldier who thinks we should be in Afghanistan."

Peace campaigner Maria Gallastegui, 51
From Harlesden, she has lived in the camp since May 1.

She said: "I've been a full-time peace campaigner for four years and naturally joined the Democracy Village. My concern is the government is not listening to the people, particularly young people. The reason I'm here is I strongly believe if we don't get the troops home from Afghanistan we are going to see another war."

Film producer Dean Puckett, 28
He said: "I made a documentary on the 9/11 truth movement and it made me uncomfortable being part of the system.

"I gave up my flat, my job and my bank account to pursue campaigning and move into an
eco-village.

"We need to drop the facade and admit the war on terror is about imperialism and securing resources."

Builder Grzegorz Kubiak, 56
He was involved in the workers' anti-capitalist movement in Poland after the fall of communism. Has been working in London but gave it up to join the peace camp along with about 10 other Poles.

He said: "I agree with the campaign. This war is only a way of making money." Itinerant worker Maciek Bolbot, 21, said: "I came here from Cornwall for the demonstration. We all support the cause."

Teacher Anna Chithrakala, 31
She used to work teaching adults with learning disabilities until quitting to concentrate on activism.

She said: "We're not just hippies. There are so many different angles and ways to look at what this place is about.

"An ex-soldier came to join us and he cried in my arms saying it was the only place he feels people care."

Student Can Aniker, 18
From east London, he is due to begin a degree at Sussex University. He said: "I'm here because I disagree with the Government's foreign policy. The public are opposed to this war [but] that option wasn't presented to the electorate."

Graduate Simon Moore, 27
Says he "had a burst of realisation regarding my moral obligation as a citizen and a human being. When you have a corrupt government everyone has a duty to withdraw their support".

Admin worker Chevonne Henry, 28
From Honor Oak, she supports the protest but camps only occasionally. She said: "Everyone's here for their own reasons. It's about the system, not just about the war. It's very spiritual here, it's like one big family."

AND NOT FORGETTING...

Peace protest veteran Brian Haw, 61
Has mounted a permanent anti-war protest in the Square since June 2001. He successfully fought attempts to evict him at the High Court in 2005. Does not associate with the Democracy Village and is said to resent the newcomers' presence.