Police have arrested four Irish nationals at a hotel in Badhoevendorp near Amsterdam on suspicion of ripping off home owners about emergency repairs.

The four, aged 19 to 36, were picked up in dawn raids. Police also found promotional leaflets, cash, telephones and simcards stashed in the hotel rooms.

The group posed as handymen who cold-called on homes, often lived in by elderly people, and convinced them to have work done on their property. Once working on a relatively simple job, they would come up with other, more serious problems, which, they said, demanded immediate repairs.

Police say they have had more than 30 complaints about the gang, who have netted at least €30,000 from their victims.