Would-be burglars in Groningen and Breda found themselves caught out by their love of social media at the weekend, broadcaster Nos reports.

In Groningen, two 16-year-olds who hid so they could be locked into a shopping centre gave themselves away by sending out a film of their adventure via message service Whatsapp.

The video ended up with the police who tipped off security staff, Nos sas. The two claimed to have been influenced by other social media films and were referred to social workers for help.

In Breda, police arrested a man who checked his Facebook account after breaking into an office complex.

The man had broken into the building by smashing a window in a door. He then made himself a cup of coffee and logged into his Facebook account on one of the office computers, Nos says.