Squatters take over empty police station in Norbury

She took the Standard on a guided tour. Interview rooms and cells have been turned into bedrooms but plastic bags, old clothes, cat toys and rubbish litter the floor.

Ruth claimed: “The police tried to break the door down but we asked them not to, since we live here. Everything was fine once they saw our legal warnings, and they left.”

The 12,000 sq ft site in London Road is not classed as a residential property, meaning the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime, which is handling the sale, must obtain a court order to evict the group. Ruth said the building was “cold and muddy” but its occupants were keeping warm with electric heaters.

More squatters are expected to arrive in the coming weeks. Local resident Jon Campling, an actor who appeared as a Death Eater in Harry Potter, tweeted: “Squatters occupy former Norbury police station. I feel safer already.”

Scotland Yard said: “On March 18 at approximately 8.41pm police received a report of squatters in a police building. Officers spoke to the occupants, who indicated they intend to remain until served with an eviction notice. The local Safer Neighbourhoods team will provide regular patrols in the area.”