A judge granted a possession order over the site late on 28 March, which High Court enforcement officers put into action on 2 April.

The occupation, in protest at the outsourcing of 235 estates and catering jobs at the university, had been in place for more than seven weeks.

A number of police were present at the eviction, which the university said was to ¡°prevent any criminal offences, ensure public safety, and support the High Court enforcement officers if requested¡±. There have been no reports of any violence.

The university had already been granted an injunction against protesters entering the campus, which it said was to prevent a repetition of the kind of protest seen at Sussex on 25 March.

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During the demonstration, glass doors were smashed, documents burned and graffiti drawn on walls.

In a statement, the university said it had become ¡°increasingly concerned about the risks presented to the campus community by the occupiers in recent weeks¡±, adding that protesters had used the occupied space to organise the demonstration.

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Registrar John Duffy added: ¡°Peaceful demonstrations are not banned at Sussex. But we will not hesitate to act against anyone who uses protest as an excuse to indulge in a repeat of the unacceptable actions of 25 March¡­Nor will we tolerate unlawful action and occupational protest that threatens to disrupt the university, as we finish this term and approach this summer¡¯s examinations.¡±

Ahead of the eviction, the protesters said that whatever happened, it would not be the end of their anti-privatisation campaign.

On its website, the campaign posted new statements of solidarity received from staff in the university¡¯s anthropology and international relations departments.?

It also gathered multiple statements from staff reporting the ¡°seriousness and legitimacy¡± of the campaign and claims that the occupation was peaceful.

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This was in response to a judge¡¯s decision on March to delay granting the university a possession order over Bramber House until students had been given a chance to present evidence.

An Early Day Motion in support of the occupation has also been signed by 25 MPs, while a petition in support of the protest, in place since 25 March, has reached close to 5,000 names.

elizabeth.gibney@tsleducation.com