Thousands of people who can prove they have lived in their holiday homes permanently, even though it was against the law, are to be given the right to stay, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday.

The amnesty will apply to people who moved into their holiday homes for several years prior to October 2003, when the government announced a crackdown on illegal occupation.
Holiday home owners will also have to prove they have never been told to leave their second home by the local council and that their occupancy does not break environmental rules.
The Netherlands has over 100,000 holiday homes, many of which are in environmentally-sensitive areas. Last year the environment ministry estimated that around 25,000 of these are illegally inhabited all year round.