Liquidators escorted by police are evicting staff from a public TV station in the Spanish city of Valencia, after an order to shut it down.

They moved in after staff at the loss-making station defied the closure order by the regional government and continued broadcasting.

Valencia’s government took the decision to close RTVV after losing a court battle over staff cuts.

It is the first regional TV station to be closed down as austerity bites.

Spain, whose banks were crippled during the financial crisis, has been struggling to improve its public finances.

Valencia’s government is run by the conservative Popular Party, which is in power nationally in Spain under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Tension has been high since the closure was announced on 5 November.

The regional government had initially tried to sack 1,000 of the station’s 1,700 employees, but staff successfully challenged the decision in court.

In response, the regional government shut the broadcaster down entirely, saying it could not afford to reinstate the staff.

Canal 9, Nou, and their news channel have all been closed down, and are no longer transmitting on TDT, the Spanish digital television service.

(source: bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25154669 )