Three youth care workers are suspected of raping underage residents at a facility in Alphen aan den Rijn, the public prosecution service has said.

The suspects are men aged 20, 24 and 28 from Rotterdam, Leidschendam and Maassluis, the AD reported.

The 24-year-old, who was arrested in September, appeared before a court in The Hague on Tuesday. Prosecutors suspect him of raping a 14-year-old girl who had been placed in his care.

The other two men were detained on November 26. They remain in pre-trial detention.

All three worked at the site as staff for youth care agency iHub, a nationwide agency. Prosecutors say they seriously abused their position of trust in cases involving young people under their supervision. The alleged victims are aged between 12 and 16.

The iHub location in Alphen aan den Rijn has previously been criticised by regulators and in September the social work inspectorate said care at the site fell short of required standards.

The organisation was given three months to address the problems and was temporarily closed to new admissions. It has since only employed female agency workers on night shifts.