The firework show The Hague’s Laakkwartier, which attracts some 2,000 people, has been cancelled because of the strong winds.

The city council said early on Sunday evening it had not yet decided whether or not to cancel the shows at the Hofvijver next to the parliamentary complex, and on the Scheveningen beach front.

The firework display on the IJ in central Amsterdam has also been changed to cope with the winds and the crane platform lowered from 60 to 30 metres. In addition, more fireworks will be set off at ground level, city officials said.

If the wind picks up, the Amsterdam show too many be cancelled, city officials said.

No changes are planned as yet to the Rotterdam shows, including the spectacular show on the Erasmus bridge, which draws tens of thousands of people. ‘We are monitoring the situation hour by hour,’ a spokesman told RTL Nieuws.

All firework displays along the Belgian coast have been cancelled because of the winds.

Meanwhile, four Twente youths aged 15 and 16 have been taken to hospital with facial wounds after attempting to blow up a milk churn with carbide.

Carbidschieten involves mixing carbide and water in a milk churn and blasting off the lid and is a popular New Year pastime in rural areas.