A UNIVERSITY lecturer received a ‘racist’ letter after speaking out about a "hostile and threatening" atmosphere towards foreigners following the Brexit vote.

Daniel Nehring, from Coesfeld, in Germany, spoke to the Worcester News in October to raise concerns that foreign academics no longer felt welcome since the vote to leave the EU.

Mr Nehring, a lecturer at the University of Worcester, found the letter in his pigeonhole on Monday, November 28, despite it being dated November 13.

He believes the delay was due to the letter being passed around as the address was wrong.

The letter made reference to the First and Second World Wars and told him: "Maybe a German national living in the UK being paid by UK taxpayers should keep their thoughts about my country to themselves.”

Police recorded the letter as a racist incident but Mr Nehring chose not to press charges. He handed the letter to the German embassy in London the next day.

The 38-year-old said: "It’s not like someone suggesting to bash my head in. The issue is that he’s drawing on national stereotypes to justify nationalist feeling, xenophobia and racism.

“It is extremely insulting to any German. More concerning still is this commentary that I should keep my thoughts to myself.

“The thing about this comment about me living on tax payers’ money and having to shut up is people don’t realise immigrants also bring lots of things to the county.

“I was quite taken aback by it. It’s not about myself individually, in comparison this is very minor to elsewhere.”

Mr Nehring now says there should be a public debate on immigration.

“I’m not saying he [the letter writer] shouldn’t have his voice but there needs to be a robust public debate about this,” he said.

“This kind of discourse doesn’t get us anywhere. This is not the way we want to be speaking to each other.

“It’s a very complex issue. In my view Britain is still the most tolerant, multicultural country in Europe.

“It’s at risk of losing all this if public debate is shut down. This is doing immense damage to the country.”

The German embassy says it advises German nationals who complain to them to contact the relevant British authorities.

A West Mercia Police spokesman said: "An incident was reported to police at approximately 6pm on Monday, November 28.

"It's reported that on Sunday, November 13, racially-motivated malicious communications were received at a premises on Henwick Grove, Worcester.

"Investigations into the circumstances of the communications are ongoing.

"If anyone has any information that could assist the investigation, please call West Mercia Police on 101 quoting incident 544S of November 28."

The author of the letter said it was historically accurate and declined to comment further.