Comedian and actor Russell Brand is holding a ‘sleepover’ tonight as part of the campaign opposing redevelopment of a housing estate.

Tenants on the former Sweets Way army estate in Whetstone have been evicted during the past few weeks, as the estate is being redeveloped later this year. Ten families remaining on the estate face eviction later this month.

Campaign group Sweets Way Resists has led an occupation in one of the empty homes since last week, with Russell Brand visiting on Saturday to lend his support.

In a video on his website, the comedian invited people to camp outside the occupied house tonight.

Mr Brand said: “I like that I’m presenting the idea of me sleeping in a normal house as some real radical action, it’s basically the same as the house I was brought up in.

“It’s a movie night, so don’t create loads of revelry and chaos, and ‘oh man, let’s do drugs and play techno music.’

“It’s a fun night of people coming together to protect the Sweets Way estate.”

In a Facebook post, Sweets Way Resists thanked people for their support and said the occupied house would remain closed tonight, but that people were welcome to camp outside it.

An online petition opposing evictions and calling for the right to return for former tenants has gathered more than 15,000 signatures.

A spokesman for Annington, which owns the estate, said: "These properties have long been earmarked for demolition and Annington advised tenants of this back in 2012. Since then Annington wrote again to tenants in July of last year to ensure that they were all aware of the need to vacate the properties in January 2015.”