Noord-Brabant

From Friday farmers in the whole Oost-Brabant are banned from using surface water - water from lakes and rivers - to irrigate their fields. Everyone in the area is called on to be economical with their use of water, water board Aa en Maas announced, Omroep-Brabant reports.

This ban applies to the areas Beneden AA, Boven AA and Raam. Surface water may still be used for the drinking water of cattle, for extinguishing fires, and if an adjustable drainage system is used. Farmers who use groundwater, and not surface water, for irrigation can continue to irrigate their lands. 

Farmers in West-Brabant are not allowed to use surface water to irrigate their fields. Waterboard Brabantse Delta implemented this ban on Thursday due to drought. The ban will be in effect until further notice, Omroep Brabant reports.

The ban applies to catchment areas Kibbelvaart, Lokkervaart, Bosloop and the Wouwse grounds, located in Breda, Etten-Leur, Halderberge, Rucphen, Steenbergen, Bergen op Zoom and Roosendaal, according to the broadcaster. The water board will check whether the ban is complied with. 

The chance that the Vuelta a España will start in Utrecht in 2020 increased considerably on Monday. The Provincial States made a contribution of 2.1 million euros available for the organization involved in being the cycling event's starting point, NU.nl reports.

A man shot and killed at a caravan park in Oss early on Monday morning, was identified as 30-year-old Peter Netten. He was previously convicted for storing cannabis in his grandmother's shed, Omroep Brabant reports.

Netten was gunned down at a caravan park on Hoogheuvelstraat around 2:30 a.m. on Monday. Emergency services tried to resuscitate him, but it was to no avail. He died at the scene. 

Police officers became unwell on Tuesday after they discovered 4,200 liters of drug waste in the back of a truck in Hulten, Noord-Brabant. The 27-year-old truck driver was arrested, NU.nl reports.

The officers decided to check the truck after the driver told them an incoherent story. When they opened the truck, a chemical smell caused them to fall ill. They were checked over at the scene by paramedics.

A leaking sprinkler system in a fireworks depot sent emergency services rushing to the Noord-Brabant village of Ulicoten on Monday night. As water in combination with fireworks can cause an explosion, a wide area around the bunker was closed down, Omroep Brabant reports.

Water ended up in two of the three bunkers. "Experts are investigating whether a dangerous situation has arisen and what the effect of a possible explosion in the bunker would be", a spokesperson for the local safety office said to Omroep Brabant. 

A prisoner escaped while being transported to the penitentiary institution in Grave, Noord-Brabant on Monday. He got out of the police car in the  vicinity of the prison and ran off, Omroep Brabant reports.

How this could have happened, was not said. The police searched for the man for hours, to no avail. His description was also spread on citizens' notification system Burgernet.

The man is white with dark, curly hair and 1.75 meters tall. He was wearing jeans and a vest when he escaped. People are advised not to approach the man.

A woman was shot at on the street in the Noord-Brabant village of Best on Monday morning. She sustained minor injuries. The police are looking for a slim person wearing dark clothing and a black helmet. 

The shooting happened on Mr. C. Goselingstraat, the Oost-Brabant police said on Twitter around 9:00 a.m. The perpetrator's description was spread on citizens notification system Burgernet. The authorities call on people not to approach the suspect themselves, but to call the police if a person matching the description is spotted.

Mayor Hanne van Aart of the Noord-Brabant village of Loon op Zand resuscitated a man during the village's King's Day festivities on Friday morning. The traffic controller fell unconscious, and Van Aart provided first aid until emergency services arrived, AD reports.

The man regained consciousness and was rushed to the hospital. 

Almost all regions in the Netherlands saw economic growth last year. The Groningen region was the only one to see its economy shrink. The regions around Eindhoven and Almere saw the strongest growth, Statistics Netherlands reported on Tuesday. 

In both the Eindhoven and Almere regions, the economy grew by 4.9 percent last year compared to 2016. In Zuidoost-Noord-Brabant - Eindhoven and its surroundings - last year's economic growth was mainly supported by industry and business services. In Almere, lease companies in particular contributed to the economic growth. 

Most primary schools in Limburg and Noord-Brabant are closed on Friday as teachers in these provinces strike for higher salaries and lower workloads. This is the third in a relay-strike by primary school teachers in the Netherlands, following strikes in the center of the country last month, and in the north the month before.