The mayor of the Noord-Brabant town of Steenbergen has invoked emergency police powers because of fears that football hooligans are planning to disrupt a meeting about refugees.

The emergency powers will last until midnight or later if that proves necessary, the town council says on its website.

There is evidence football hooligans who support Rotterdam club Feyenoord are on their way to the town to cause trouble, news agency ANP reports. People have also been banned from hanging round the community centre where tonight’s meeting is due to take place.

Police were forced to intervene at an earlier meeting about housing refugees in the town after fighting broke out between supporters and opponents.