Two cashpoint machines have been destroyed in overnight explosions in satellite towns outside Amsterdam.

The first blast was in Marconistraat in Badhoevedorp at around 4am. Half an hour later a Geldmaat machine was targeted in Landsmeer, just north of the capital.

In both cases the front side of the machine was ripped out of the wall by the explosion, but police did not say if the thieves had made off with any cash.

Two men were arrested in Amsterdam in connection with the explosion in Badhoevedorp within an hour of the attack, after they were seen fleeing the scene on a scooter.

The previous night two other cashpoints were blown up in Laren and Amsterdam-Zuid.

Raids on cash machines have become much less frequent in recent years as a result of improved security and the fact that the machines contain less cash as consumers have switched to electronic payments.

Many Dutch-based gangs transferred their operations to Germany, where cash is still commonly used. Last year six men were jailed by a court in Frankfurt for carrying out seven attacks on ATMs that netted them more than €870,000.