STUDENTS who occupied their university’s adminstration building for 24 hours in a demo against tuition fees have warned it was ‘just the first step’ of their action.

Around 30 students stormed the old Deptford Town Hall building of Goldsmiths University, hanging banners across the main stairwell at 4pm on November 3, staying overnight, and setting up a blockade preventing senior staff from getting to their offices the next day.

They also hung two effigies of Prime Minister David Cameroon and his deputy Nick Clegg out of a window and flew a flag from the building’s mast proclaiming ‘no cuts’.

The students’ action came after Universities Minister David Willetts announced universities in England would be able to charge up to £9,000 per year in fees - nearly treble the current £3,290 cap. News Shopper: Students barred staff from getting to their offices

Goldsmiths Student Union president Bindz Patel explained: “Goldsmiths is going to suffer like any other institution from these cuts.

“It’s got a record of bringing together people from different backgrounds. Raising tuition fees will mean deterring those students from coming.”

And she said students were worried about further cuts, including the threatened closure of the university’s nursery and possible end of courses that did not make ends meet.

The 23-year-old fine art student said: “Goldsmiths won’t close down but there’ll be courses that will shut if they don’t make ends meet.” News Shopper: Jedrek Malko

Politics student Jedrek Malko, 21, said: “This was the right thing to do.

“I’m not doing it for me - I’m doing it for future students. What you see here is just the first step.”

Hundreds of Goldsmiths students are expected to join a protest march through central London on November 10.

Cultural studies student Simon Barber said: “I fundamentally disagree with the ideology behind the cuts which is to ensure that only rich people can afford education. News Shopper: Simon Barber

“It also means courses that don’t prove their economic value will just be cut.

“A lot of professors are already overworked. It’s not as if we’ll be paying more for a better service.”

A Goldsmiths spokesman said staff had been encouraged to come to work as usual and alternative arrangements were made for those who could not access their offices.