John Finucane (pictured), a Sinn Féin candidate in the general election and himself a solicitor, tweeted a photo of the bonfire.

He said: “My posters have been placed on top of a bonfire

“I have reported this hate crime & theft to PSNI to allow them to act urgently.”

Bonfires will be lit in loyalist areas all over Northern Ireland tonight as the Twelfth of July marching season gets underway.

The huge bonfires, built mainly with wooden pallets, are expected to draw crowds of thousands.

Belfast City Council has obtained a court order to stop further construction on four bonfires in the east of the city owing to safety concerns.