Part of a protest camp in the heart of Hong Kong has been cleared after having been occupied by pro-democracy demonstrators for nearly two months, although remaining protest sites are intact.

About 30 court bailiffs arrived at the 33-storey Citic Tower in Admiralty, next to government buildings, to enforce an injunction against street barricades after a request from the building's owners, witnesses said.

Authorities stood by as workers hired by the building's owner used cutters to remove barricades.

Student protesters complied with the court order and did not fight the clearance.