Students occupy Strathclyde University

Students from institutions across Scotland have occupied a leading university in Glasgow in the wake of recent announcements over fees rest of UK students are to face.

A reported 30 students have staged a sit-in of Strathclyde University's Court Senate room.

Security at the Glasgow-based institution have shut down the Collins Building in which the suite is located in a bid to prevent numbers swelling.

Up to 10 officers from Strathclyde Police were on the scene at the highest point of the protest after a number of protesters attempted to gain access to the building via a side entrance.

The neighboring McCance Building in which Strathclyde senior management is housed has also been closed to students following the occupation which started around half past 11 this morning.

The move comes two days after Strathclyde announced plans to charge students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales £9,000 a year from the next academic year, taking the cost of a four-year degree to £27,000 after a cap was imposed.

University of Strathclyde Students' Association (USSA) president Charandeep Singh was understood to be in continuous discussions with Principal Professor Jim McDonald as the day progressed.

One Strathclyde student inside the suite said the decision to occupy had been taken in response to the recent RUK fees announcement together with cuts to courses implemented in the last few months.

University Court, Strathclyde's ruling body, elected to to axe courses in Community Education, Geography, Sociology and Applied Music in June this year as part of cost-cutting measures designed to save £750,000.

Ben Wray, a fourth-year studying Sociology at Strathclyde, said: "We have a set of demands that we are putting to the Principal while we are negotiating to try and get freedom of access which as it stands is being denied.

"We’ll have to see what happens and what the response of the Principal is.”

A spokesman for the University of Strathclyde said: “A small number of protestors are holding a sit-in in one of the University’s administration buildings.

"The impact is localised and the University is working to minimise disruption.”