The number of unmanned gas stations in the Netherlands quadrupled over the past 15 years, to the point that the country now counts more unmanned gas stations than manned ones, according to figures from sector association Bovag, NU.nl reports.
The number of unmanned gas stations increased from 575 in mid-2003 to 2,098 at the start of this year. In that same period, the total number of gas stations decreased by 2.7 percent to 4,121.
The roof of a gas station on the A58 highway in Zeeland collapsed for unknown reasons during the early hours of Monday morning, ANP reports.
The roof broke in the middle and collapsed to the ground in the shape of a V. No one was hurt. The Total gas station is located near 's-Heer Arendskerke, between Goes and Middelburg.
The gas station was closed at the time of the collapse. The fire department investigated and concluded that the roof collapse did not cause any immediate risks for the surrounding area, according to the news wire.
The Dutch police received an unusual phone call on Saturday morning. A woman, calling from the bathroom of a gas station on the A20 near Nieuwerkerk, reported that she had been abducted under threat of a firearm, the Telegraaf reports.
The police in Gouda were unable to respond quickly enough, so officers from Rotterdam were sent to the scene. When five police cars arrived at BP gas station De Vink, the panicked woman came running out of the building.
She immediately pointed out her abductor. A 29-year-old man from Apeldoorn was arrested at gunpoint.
A taxi crashed into a gas station in Zaandam on Sunday afternoon. A total of three people were injured, two people who were pumping gas and the taxi driver. According to the police, the taxi driver lost control of his vehicle for still unknown reasons.
The accident happened at a Texaco gas station on Julianaweg, which runs parallel to the A8 towards Amsterdam, according to AD. The three victims were taken to hospital, a spokesperson for the police said to the newspaper. He could not say anything about their condition.
The police arrested a man at an Avia gas station on Vliestroom in Urk on Wednesday morning. He was waving a knife around and shouting in Arabic, an employee of the gas station said to De Stentor.
According to the employee, the man walked into the gas station's store around 8:30 a.m. At the time he was not carrying a knife, and the employee did not feel threatened by him but did notice he seemed a bit confused.
Once outside, the man pulled out the knife and started shouting. The police were called.
Multiple police officers and police dogs arrested 20 people for a massive brawl at a gas station in Ypenurg, The Hague over the weekend, AD reports.
The fight started when people on a party bus started quarreling with a man filling his car with gas. The quarrel escalated into a brawl. The fight moved into the gas station's store, causing quite a bit of damage. An unidentified man in a red coat got involved briefly, but ran away to avoid being beaten up.
The police arrested 20 brawlers. Investigators are looking fo the man in the red coat and other witnesses.
A 32-year-old suicidal Almere man caused massive amounts of damage when he crashed his car into gas station De Andel on the A12 near Gouda on Saturday night. His car hit a gas pump, which caught fire and destroyed a large part of the gas station
A 14-year-old boy from Rotterdam was arrested on Wednesday in connection with two robberies - one in a toy store in Vlaardingen and another at a gas station in Rozenburg. According to the police, he was arrested thanks to tips received after Opsopring Verzocht paid attention to the case in Tuesday's broadcast.
One in eight drivers in the Netherlands do not have optimal driving vision. 2.4 percent of drivers have such poor vision that they should not be allowed on the road according to the driving standards authority CBR.
Police in Rotterdam found 1 million euros in cash in the trunk of a car at a gas station along the A13 on Sunday night. Officers arrested the driver and confiscated the cash. The man will appear before the magistrate on Wednesday facing charges of money laundering.
A car crashed into a gas station store at full speed on Monday night. The accident happened at the Texaco gas station on the A67 close to Asten. The car ended up completely in the store.
Two fuel stations near the Dutch borders lost their lawsuit against the Netherlands over a hike in fuel taxes. The judge on Friday rejected their petition for the Dutch government to pay an advance on damages they suffer as a result from climbing taxes, sending their customers to cheaper filling stations across the border.
