The number of firework attacks on homes and business premises will probably far exceed 1000 this year, police estimate.

Police have registered some 923 attacks and attempted attacks so far this year, the latest of which occurred this week in The Hague, Rijswijk, Rotterdam, Barendrecht and Lelystad.

Firebombings are rapidly becoming a trend, police said. Attacks on premises or homes skyrocketed from 212 in 2021 to 1017 last year, according to a new police report.

Over 70% of the attacks take place in the big cities, particularly Rotterdam, Amsterdam and The Hague but small towns are not exempt. The premises and house of a plumber in Vlaardingen were firebombed some 20 times since April 2023 and the attacks continued after he died following a heart attack.

The police had always worked on the assumption that most of the attacks could be linked criminal gangs but research has since found that over half are the result of “domestic conflicts between non-criminal citizens, often over relationships,”  the report said.

“People in dispute with others then attempt to solve it by using an incendiary device to intimidate them,” Jos van der Stap, head of the high impact crime department told broadcaster NOS.

Cobras, a powerful type of firework banned in the Netherlands, are a popular choice. There is “a firework culture in the Netherlands”, said Van der Stap. “Illegal fireworks are traded here and if you can use them on New Years’ Eve you can use them to attack homes.”

Some 60 people were hurt in last year’s attacks, police said.

Teenagers often carry out explosions to order and the police have found Telegram groups where people could commission a blast for €150.

A European ban on powerful fireworks is the only way to limit the explosion crime wave, police say. They also say schools should also do more to prevent youngsters from getting involved and social media companies must ban the sale of illegal fireworks on their platforms.