Squatters enjoyed a fleeting visit at a vacant office building on Twickenham Green last weekend.

A group of about 12 people entered Heathgate House on Friday.

The building, managed by Threadneedle, has been vacant for a number of months having previously housed Richmond Housing Partnership and KP Nuts.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said police were made aware of the situation on Monday.

They added: “It is a bit of a cheek really because they have gone in there and have access to electricity and running water.”

South Twickenham Safer Neighbourhood Team confirmed they visited the building on Wednesday afternoon and found nobody there.

A spokesman said: “The locks had been changed by the landlord.”

On Monday evening, the first floor of the building was lit with the blinds pulled down.

A poster was taped to the door of the main entrance explaining that, because the property was non-residential, the squatters were allowed to stay there.

Squatting in a commercial property became a civil matter under Section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.