HANNOVER (DPA) - Unknown landlords illegally parked shipping containers on two Amsterdam streets and advertised them online as holiday accommodation, local media reported on Monday (May 13).

The frugal apartments were not billed as containers in their listings on the Airbnb platform, according to the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper.

City authorities have towed one of the containers.

"It is unbelievable that people misuse the city in this way," the newspaper quoted Amsterdam's Eastern District representative Rick Vermin as saying.

Local television broadcaster AT5 reported that a British tourist had booked one of the cargo containers for €134 (S$205) a night.

He told AT5 that he could not believe his eyes when he arrived.

He opened the door and looked inside, locked the door and left for a hotel, said the man, who has been reimbursed by Airbnb.

Earlier this year, Amsterdam introduced rules to curb vacation share rentals, by setting a limit of 30 days per year for renting out private homes.