Bomb disposal experts have begun clearing 30 unexploded Second World War devices from a field near Schiphol airport.

The site at Rijsenhout was used as a decoy airfield by the Germans to lure Allied bombers away from Schiphol, which was the real military base during the occupation. However, most of the munitions found at Rijsenhout came from German planes which wanted to dump their unused ordnance before landing back home.

Four of the bombs which were closest to built-up areas were detonated in controlled explosions in November. The remaining 26, which weigh between 50kg and 500kg, will be cleared before the end of the month, NOS reported.

The detonations have been timed to minimise the disruption to air traffic from Schiphol, which regularly flies over the area. ‘The explosions will take place in off-peak hours and if necessary aircraft will be able to circulate in the safe waiting zones above the Netherlands,’ said a spokesman for the bomb disposal service EOD.