The town council in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, a Bible belt municipality with some 18,000 people, has apologised to residents after workmen put up warning signs about roadworks on a Sunday.

‘The council regrets the fact that a contractor has placed up signs about the resurfacing work on the Nieuweweg on a Sunday,’ the official statement said. ‘This goes against agreements and was not ordered by the council.’

The council was prompted to say sorry after several people complained that local rules had been broken. Sunday is a day of absolute rest in strict Protestant circles.

Hardinxveld-Giessendam council is run by a coalition formed by a local issue party and the fundamentalist Protestant SGP. The actual roadworks went ahead on Monday as planned.