In total 2,032 asylum seekers slept at the Ter Apel reception centre on Wednesday night, 32 more than permitted. That means the refugee settlement body COA, a government agency, will now have to pay a fine of €15,000 to Westerwolde local council.

The fine applies to each night Ter Apel exceeds the official limit, up to a total of €1.5 million. Westerwolde took the COA to court to force the agency to take action after grappling with overcrowding for months.

“Despite all our efforts we were not able to meet the court ruling and dip under 2000 people,” COA said in a statement.

The organisation said it will “keep looking for solutions to reduce the pressure on Ter Apel and is again urging local authorities to make suitable locations available.”

To meet Wednesday’s deadline, COA moved several hundred refugees to a temporary location at the Walibi Holland amusement park in Biddinghuizen.

Around one-third of the Netherlands 342 local authorities have not provided any housing for refugees for the past 12 years.