The storm which hit the Netherlands yesterday caused some €15m worth of damage, insurers said on Friday. Zeeland and Noord-Holland provinces were the hardest hit, insurers said.

A spokesman for the storm warning service said that water levels in the north of the country had risen far higher than expected in some places. In Den Helder, strong winds whipped the sea level to 2.3 metres above NAP – over a 1.5 metres higher than normal