Economic affairs minister Henk Kamp has been visiting Groningen on Wednesday to assess for himself the damage caused by earthquakes.

On Tuesday, Kamp announced a further reduction in natural gas extraction in the province in an effort to lower the intensity of the quakes, which are causing considerable structural damage to thousands of homes.

Kamp will also meet Groningen city officials during his visit. They are particularly concerned that the most recent quakes have been felt in the city itself.

Kamp said on Tuesday that the amount of gas extracted from under the province next year will be cut back to 39.4 billion cubic metres, not 43.5 billion cubic metres as agreed earlier.

However, Groningen officials say the minister has not gone far enough and are not impressed by the government’s proposals to reinforce thousands of homes against quake damage, news agency ANP says.