Hospitals, trains, trams and the metro have all been affected by a major power cut in Amsterdam and the surrounding area.

The electricity network operator, Tennet, said the regional outage was caused by a grid "overload" at a high-voltage power station in the town of Diemen.

There are traffic jams across the capital as a result of traffic lights turning off, and the electric-powered tram system is at a standstill.

Schiphol Airport was switched to backup power for more than an hour, and flights were cancelled or diverted to regional airports.

Power has since been restored at Europe's fourth largest airport, but the diversions remain in place.

In a statement, the airport said: "Due to a regional power failure, air traffic was disrupted. The power is back on again since 10:45."

"Air traffic will slowly be continued. Consult your airline for up to date flight information," it added.

Hospitals are also working from backup power and many trains are stranded due to signal failures.

The ANP news agency said the outage covers large parts of the province of North Holland, including the nearby broadcasting centre of Hilversum.