Occupy London: protesters face first eviction step

London officials are expected to move one step closer to evicting protesters from the grounds of the iconic St. Paul's Cathedral Monday.

Corporation of London officials are set to hand the protesters a letter asking them to leave the grounds of the cathedral within 24 to 48 hours, the Guardian reports.  The corporation owns part of the land around the cathedral.

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The letter will point out that there is no objection to a 24-hour protest at the site, on the western edge of the cathedral, but that the presence of more than 200 tents plus assorted marquees providing food, information and other facilities meant the thoroughfare was blocked.

Protesters in London have been camped out at the cathedral as they join the worldwide Occupy campaign and denounce economic inequality and corporate greed. The movement, which began in September in New York as Occupy Wall Street, has spread to cities across the United States and world.

If activists do not comply with the letter, the lawyers from the corporation are expected to start court proceedings on Wednesday and seek an eviction.

Meanwhile, the dean of St. Paul's Cathedral resigned Monday.

The resignation of Rt Rev Graeme Knowles was the third resignation of a clergyman at the cathedral over the protests.

Knowles said he felt his position at the cathedral had become "untenable" and that all of the clergymen at the cathedral were “under a great deal of strain," the Telegraph reports.

The resignation came days after Canon Chancellor Dr Giles Fraser stepped down.