Hundreds of balconies of at least 10 apartment buildings in Venlo are closed to their owners by order of the municipality. There are problems with the reinforcement of the balconies' concrete slabs and the balconies may not be safe, RTL Nieuws reports.

This involves at least 10 apartment buildings that were built in the 1960's on Karel van Egmondstraat, Vinckenhofstraat and Groenstraat. 

A resident noticed a crack in the suspension of his balcony in the spring of last year and reported it. Based on that report the municipality inspected the building and others built at the same time. They found problems on multiple balconies and therefore decided to close them to their residents as a precaution. The balconies are locked with a lock to which the residents don't have a key.

The municipality ordered the owners' associations to investigate and fix the balconies where necessary. Until this is done, residents will not be allowed to use them.

On Tuesday 300 balconies in Breda were also closed to their residents due to doubts about their safety. A routine inspection showed that the balconies' concrete floors are not strong enough. Pillars were placed under the balconies for extra support as a temporary solution.