The decision to shorten the period in which fireworks can be let off during the New Year celebrations did reduce the public nuisance, Dutch local authority association VNG said on Thursday.

The old start time of 10.00 hours was brought back to 18.00 hours and most councils said this led to fewer problems, local authority magazine Binnenlands Bestuur reports.

However, large illegal fireworks remain a serious issue and councils want this to become a nationwide priority, the VNG survey showed.

The emergency services also dealt with fewer incidents this year.