Twelve pigs’ heads have been dumped at a field near Enschede earmarked as a new asylum seekers’ reception centre.

The pigs’ heads, which appear to have come from an abattoir, were placed on a gate to the field and scattered around the entrance.

Photos of the pigs’ heads, taken when it was dark, were published on a Twitter feed early on Wednesday morning headlined ‘welcome to the hell that is Eschmarkerveld’.

A spokesman for the city council told RTL news the same text has also been used by local protest group AZC Alert Enschede. It is campaigning against plans to locate temporary accommodation for 600 asylum seekers in the field.

A police spokesman said the illegal dumping is considered an ‘environmental crime’ and an investigation has been started.

‘There is little doubt that the pigs’ heads are connected with the arrival of the refugees,’ a spokesman for the city council said.