The mayor of a village in Germany had to be hospitalised after he was severely beaten in a suspected far-Right attack over his support for asylum-seekers.

Joachim Kebschull, the mayor of Oersdorf in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, was attacked from behind as he walked to a planning meeting on Thursday night.

The 61-year-old was beaten with a club by unknown assailants who fled after he lost consciousness.

Police believe the attack is linked to the mayor’s support for plan to accommodate asylum-seekers in the village.

Hours before the attack, he received a threatening letter which contained the phrases “He who will not listen will have to feel” and “Oersdorf for the Oersdorfers”.

The tiny village of just 870 people has been the scene of growing tension in recent weeks.

The planning committee meeting had already been postponed twice over bomb threats, and police had secured the site ahead of Thursday’s planned session.

Germany has suffered a wave of violent attacks targeting refugee shelters and politicians who support asylum-seekers over the past 12 months.

Henriette Reker, the mayor of Cologne, nearly died when she was stabbed by a protestor over her refugee policy last year.