Some 800 people living in four villages along the Eems canal east of Groningen have been ordered to leave their homes because of the serious risk of flooding, following gale-force winds and rain overnight.

The evacuation has been prompted by fears that a dyke along the canal is in a severely-weakened condition. The Eems canal links Groningen to the sea at Delfzijl.
‘The dyke could break, and that means an area covering several hundred hectares will be under water within a matter of hours,’ a rescue service spokesman told the Telegraaf.
The villagers have been asked to stay with family and friends, and a sports hall in Ten Boer will open its doors to people with nowhere else to go.
Soldiers
Around 100 soldiers are helping police and fire officers with the evacuation while others are working to reinforce the dykes, the Volkskrant said.
But the dyke at Tolbert, where 80 farmers were asked to leave their homes on Thursday, has now been declared safe, news agency ANP said.
Meanwhile, museum workers at the Groninger museum in Groningen have begun dismantling two ground-floor exhibitions because of the flood risk. Clothing by fashion designer Azzedine Alaia and works by artist Jan Altink are being moved to the upper floors.
Below sea level
Elsewhere there are reports of flooded cellars in Dordrecht, where sandbags have been used to try to stop the river bursting its banks.
Some 25% of the Netherlands is below sea level and the flood risk becomes acute when heavy rain is coupled with high seas. The combination prevents excess water being pumped from the canals and rivers into the sea, leading to sodden dykes and rising water levels.