A family from Nieuwegein near Utrecht have been ordered by the local mayor to leave their home for three months because of the risk they pose to public safety.

Two grenades were found in front of the terraced house where the family lives on Thursday and last week their home was shot at, prompting the mayor to take action.

‘Sealing this house is necessary to ensure the safety of the neighbourhood and prevent new occurrences,’ mayor Frans Backhuijs is quoted as saying by the Volkskrant.

He said the family understood the decision and will sort out a new place to live themselves. The council is not funding their temporary accommodation.

Explosives experts spend much of Thursday clearing the grenades and making sure the street is safe. The local school was also closed and the children were evacuated.

‘There is obviously talk of a conflict,’ a police spokesman told reporters on Thursday. ‘But we don’t know what it is about and we plan to talk more to the man of the house who seems to be the target.’

The family, made up of two parents and two adult children, have lived in the area for several years.