Several Ukrainian refugees arriving at the reception centre in the Jaarbeurs exhibition complex in Utrecht have been told that they should look for shelter in another country, broadcaster NOS said on Tuesday evening.

The centre, where Ukrainian refugees could stay for a day while sorting out more permanent location, was closed on Tuesday by the regional safety board because it was too full.

It had 140 beds for Ukrainians who had just arrived in the Netherlands but officials were unable to find them all proper accommodation because of the shortage of places nationwide.

The decision to close it was taken because of the overcrowding, which had led to “limited care facilities, long queues for the bathrooms and not enough privacy”, the safety board said in a statement on Monday.

Around 300 Ukrainian nationals arrive in the Netherlands every week, although the centre was only open to the elderly, families with children and people with health issues.

According to NOS, a letter from the safety board which was given to refugees who arrived at the centre on Tuesday, said they would have to look for a place to stay themselves. “If this is not possible, we advise you to try another country,” the letter stated.

The letter is no longer being distributed, NOS said.

A spokesman for Utrecht mayor Sharon Dijksma, who chairs the safety board, said that the situation is “far from ideal”. Refugees can “always knock on the door of a local authority, but we know there are hardly any places. That is why we gave an alternative.”

Volunteers are now on duty at the Jaarbeurs to help people who still arrive there. “We have agreed to offer Ukrainians protection as an act of solidarity,” a spokesman told NOS. “The Utrecht centre might be full, but that does not mean they cannot go to other local authorities for accommodation.”