Spanish police have cleared a major protest camp in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square that spearheaded nationwide demonstrations over runaway housing costs and led to snap general elections.

MADRID: Police on Tuesday dismantled a sprawling tent camp in Madrid which had spearheaded protests over Spain’s housing crisis for more than a month and prompted early elections, police and activists said.

Officers closed off much of the Spanish capital’s emblematic Puerta del Sol square on Tuesday morning as municipal cleaning staff swept away remaining debris, tents and tarpaulin, AFP reporters saw.

The Madrid camp sprang up in September, after Spain’s chronic housing crisis burst into the centre of public debate following the eviction of an 87-year-old pensioner from her lifelong Madrid home.