Police have arrested two men thought to have been involved in an explosion in Purmerend which seriously injured one person and badly damaged five homes.

The suspects, a 19-year-old and a 20-year-old, both from Purmerend, are being held in solitary confinement, meaning they can only talk to their lawyers. They will appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Friday and police are not ruling out further arrests.

Locals said the blast was not the first to hit the area and cameras had been placed to monitor the situation.

On Wednesday, justice minister David van Weel expressed alarm at the increasingly frequent explosions in residential areas in the Netherlands in the wake of the devastating blast in The Hague that left six people dead.  He called for tougher sentences for people convicted of explosives and firework-related offences.

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

Police now say the attack in The Hague was aimed at a bridal shop situated at the block of flats and was ordered by the former partner of the business owner.

It is not clear what the motive behind the Purmerend attack was.