"We want to be good neighbours," said protester Kai Wargalla. "We had reached the limit of our capacity at St Paul's and the new camp takes the pressure off that site."

But the first collection of tents outside the cathedral did not appear to have shrunk on Saturday night.

The protesters, part of a movement called Occupy London, said around 200 to 300 people had joined the second camp and they were expected to stay for some time.

The new camp is at Finsbury Square, one of the few green open spaces in the crowded financial district. Protesters pitched their tents outside the cathedral after police blocked their attempts to occupy the square next to the London Stock Exchange last weekend.

Church authorities closed the 17th-century cathedral to visitors on Friday for the first time since World War Two, saying camping stoves posed a fire risk and the tents limited access to the building.

Reuters