Britain was witness to more student unrest yesterday as around 70 students occupied a University of London building.

The action followed a wave of occupations in universities across the country over the last few weeks, including Edinburgh, Birmingham, Sussex and Goldsmiths.

And there was also widespread action by university workers across the country on Monday determined to fight for fair pay.

The students occupied the Senate House, the University of London's administrative centre, against a number of grievances including government plans to privatise student loan debts and the closure of university's student union.

They were also protesting in support of higher education workers fighting for improved pay.

They are demanding that the university issues a statement condemning the privatisation of the student loan book, and want it to scrap plans to replace University of London Union with a new toothless administrative body.

Soas student Mya Pope-Weidemann was part of the occupation.

She said: "With the privatisation of the student loan book, the Lib Dem betrayal of students is complete.

"We are already being saddled with record-breaking financial burdens, crushed between soaring living costs and plummeting employment prospects.

"The assurances that interest rates are safe in bankers' hands is laughable. It's like trusting a shark to look after a seal."

Ms Pope-Weidermann said that as students become more disenfranchised there will be more disruption.

She said: "The Tories and their friends are conspiring to squeeze every last penny out of what is fast becoming Britain's lost generation. And we won't take this degree of shameless exploitation lying down. The government can expect growing resistance nationally."

Nationwide student protests have been sparked by the decision to offload £890 million of student loans to debt recovery groups.

The loans taken out between 1990 and 1998 were sold for £160m amid fears that previously fixed increase interest rates would increase - a point ministers refute.

The government plans to continue selling and to offload all of the £40 billion worth of student loans it currently holds.