Amsterdam city council has written to 250 city centre shopkeepers warning them not to sell products which can be used to process or package hard drugs, the Parool reported at the weekend.

The letter warns shops that officials will take a more intensive approach to the sale of drugs related products, including measuring scales, presses, packaging materials and substances to cut cocaine.

The letter includes a list of the measures outlined in the current laws on hard drugs and the possible penalties. This could include ‘confiscating and destroying the products, a criminal investigation and the closure of the premises’, the letter states.

The new approach is part of council strategy to make the city centre more attractive for residents, visitors and companies.

In October, city officials also voted to crack down on the sale of cannabis and magic mushroom-related souvenirs in an effort to ditch the city centre’s druggy image.

The sale of weed biscuits, cannabis lollypops and the like in city centre shops both conflicts with local zoning laws which restrict the sale of souvenirs, and promotes drugs use, city officials say.

Mayor Femke Halsema closed six souvenir shops and a tobacconist on the city centre Nieuwendijk last January for selling drugs related products.