A 51-year-old man from Amsterdam has been jailed for four years for possessing a large quantity of illegal weapons as well as for theft.

The sentence is longer than the 30 months called for by the public prosecution department, which has welcomed the ruling, news agency ANP says.

Police found the explosives and weapons by chance last year during a search for a stolen motorbike.

The haul included hand grenades, pistols and silencers as well as a large amount of ammunition. The discovery led to two homes being evacuated while the weapons were made safe.