Amsterdam officials have shut down 120 illegal hotels and boarding houses so far this year, Nos television reports. Many were operating without a licence while others broke fire regulations.

In addition, 47 owners have been fined a total €500,000 for running illegal hotels, Nos said.

The clampdown follows a fire at a hotel in the city centre which left two tourists dead. Although the hotel was licenced, it did not meet fire safety standards.

Noise

‘These buildings are located mainly in the centre but also in the west and south of the city,’ a council spokesman said. ‘We often find out about them because neighbours report them as a nuisance.’

The operations which have been shut down range from ‘illegal zero star hotels where you would not want to be found dead to the most beautifully appointed apartments on the Keizersgracht,’ the spokesman told Nos.

Some 80 of the illegal operations were shut down over the busy summer months.