Every year some 5,000 people are stopped from travelling out of the Netherlands via Schiphol airport because they have outstanding fines, broadcaster Nos said on Thursday.

Boarder police make the checks when passengers move through passport control and the computer system flags up people with unpaid traffic and other fines.

So far this year, €500,000 has been collected from Schiphol passengers who have not paid their fines and the annual total is usually between €1.1m and €1.2m, the broadcaster said.

In addition, the tax office is also allowed to check passengers for unpaid tax bills. Last week, for example, one holidaymaker had to pay up €19,000 back taxes before he was allowed to board a plane, tax office spokesman Johan Hooglugt said.

The tax office collects around €1m in unpaid taxes from holidaymakers every year.

However, people who are simply in arrears with their payments need not worry. ‘Only notorious non-payers should beware,’ the broadcaster said.