Hilversum town council is developing a special protocol to deal with the soft toys left in memory of the children who died in the MH17 air disaster.

Hundreds of toys were left outside the military barracks in Hilversum where the bodies of the 298 people who died in the crash were brought for identification. They and the soft toys thrown at the courtege of hearses bringing the coffins to Hilversum have been stored in a warehouse since they were removed in December.

The home affairs minister has asked the council to develop a protocol that can also be used in similar situations in the future, mayor Pieter Broertjes says.

According to local broadcaster RTV Noord Holland, around 1,000 soft toys are being stored pending a solution.