Rotterdam’s city hall metro stop Stadhuis will remain closed for a further 2.5 weeks while asbestos found during building work is cleaned up.

City transport body RET said the lengthy closure is need to comply with official rules for dealing with asbestos. In addition, specialist contractors need to be brought in.

Passengers who used a Rotterdam metro station, which has been closed since the discovery of asbestos on Tuesday, are said not to be in any danger because laboratory tests have shown the asbestos was present in lower levels than the maximum permitted by law.

The use of asbestos, which can cause cancer, has been banned in the Netherlands since 1993 and Europe-wide in 2005. Recently, the government decided that all roofs containing asbestos have to be removed by 2024.