Shops in the centre of Amsterdam will not be allowed to open round the clock after all, city alderman Kajsa Ollongren has decided.

Experiments with 24/7 opening had been due to start in July but just 17 shopkeepers had applied to take part, Ollongren said. Most were souvenir shops and fast food outlets aimed at tourists.

‘We are trying to get a good grip on the range of shops in the centre,’ Ollongren told the Parool newspaper. ‘If we run this pilot programme, we are heading in the wrong direction.’

The original idea of allowing 24/7 opening, put forward back in 2015, was to meet the needs of Amsterdammers who work different shifts. The plan had been bitterly opposed by local residents and shopkeepers who said they could not afford to compete in a round-the-clock retail sector.