The Hague residents evacuated after illegal drug lab found

Authorities in The Hague evacuated residents from dozens of homes on Saturday after an illegal drug lab was found in their neighbourhood, Dutch officials said.

It was the second time in 24 hours that residents were asked to leave because of the lab. Barrels containing hundreds of litres of dangerous chemicals had been stored outside the site.

The police investigation led to the arrests of at least four men aged between 34 and 71. Several Dutch media outlets reported that about 150 residents were told to evacuate while specialist teams removed the chemicals and dismantled the inside of the lab.

De Volkskrant reported that the lab appeared to have been used to make ecstasy and other forms of MDMA. A police spokeswoman said such a setup was unusual in a residential neighbourhood.

The local council said the dangerous products had been removed and eliminated. It warned that dangerous substances could be released during the operation and said it expected residents to be allowed back into their homes late Saturday night.