War is declared on Parliament’s peace campers

Protesters camped in Westminster are wrecking Parliament Square, turning the London tourist attraction into a wasteland, it is claimed.

Their 40 tents, huge marquee, field kitchen, vegetable garden and makeshift latrines are having a detrimental impact on the grassy Unesco World Heritage site, say critics, who call the camp a "permanent Glastonbury".

Patches of the ornamental garden are yellowed, while other sections of lawn have been churned into a mudbath by heavy footfall in pouring rain.

Christian Moxon, 36, owner of the London Gardening Company, which creates and maintains gardens for private homes and businesses, said the grass "could take a month to get back to looking nice".

He added: "They may need to re-lay it. The longer it goes on, the longer it will take to recover." It is also claimed the latrines smell.

Colin Barrow, leader of Westminster council, said: "We of course support peaceful protest but it's unacceptable for this public square to become a campsite when it is meant to be a place for everyone to enjoy."

He said street cleaners were dealing with increased rubbish, while police resources were being diverted away from crime fighting. He called for new laws "to ensure everyone can enjoy the square and give other groups the chance to legally protest there".

The protesters' leader, a squatter called Pete Phoenix, 38, claimed the damage was far less significant than the "genocide" being committed by the British Government in Afghanistan. He said: "That is an illegal war. Our primary aim is to stop the killing."

Boris Johnson is trying to have the activists evicted. His spokesman said that while the Mayor respected the right to demonstrate, the protest was doing "considerable damage to the square and preventing its peaceful use by other Londoners".