More than half a century ago, hippies took over a derelict naval base in Copenhagen and turned it into the community now known as Christiania.

Residents spent decades clashing with authorities as they disregarded laws and refused to pay utility bills before eventually buying control of the 84-acre site.

Newcomers could only move in if they were related to someone already living there, but the community has long been marred by drug dealers along the aptly named Pusher Street.

Criminals openly sold weed and it often led to clashes with police and violent confrontations.

Now, home to around 1,000 Danes, the residents have had enough and taken things into their own hands.

On 6 April, they tore up the cobblestone Pusher Street, brick by brick.

Just after 10am, two young children living at Christiania, Emilia and Sally, lifted the first cobblestone from the infamous street to cheers from the crowds.

Danish justice minister Peter Hummelgaard, who was present, told Danish broadcaster TV2: "For more than 40 years, Christiania and the illegal sale of drugs out here has been a huge thorn in the side of the established society.

"But now we have reached the point where the Christianians have also had enough of the [criminal] gangs."

Hulda Mader, who has lived in Christiania for 40 years, said: "We don't want the gangsters anymore."

Once the illegal trade is gone, "there might be some people selling hashish afterward, but it's not going to be in the open," she added.

The plan, Mette Prag, coordinator of a new public housing project in the enclave, is to create a "new Christiania without the criminal hashish market".

Following the removal of cobblestones, new water pipes and pavements will be laid and nearby buildings renovated ahead of new houses planned in the coming years.

These are the first steps in a plan to turn the hippie enclave into an integrated part of Copenhagen.

Residents, known as Christianites, tried before to stop the drug sales on Pusher Street themselves by tearing down the dealers' booths, but they were rebuilt.

They then blocked access to the street with huge shipping containers, but masked men removed them and dealing went on despite police crackdowns.

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So the ageing enclave decided in August of last year to do something about the drug problem, knowing that the government had said getting rid of the drug dealers was "an important prerequisite" before the community could receive the 14.3 million kroner (£1.6m) set aside for the renovation work.

In the same month, drug-related tensions escalated when a turf war apparently led to a shooting causing one death and several injuries.