Germany's match against the Netherlands has been called off after information a bomb attack was planned, according to police in Hanover.

The city's police chief Volker Kluwe told German television that authorities have "concrete evidence that someone wanted to set off an explosive device in the stadium."

A second stadium in Hanover, where the German band Söhne Mannheims was due to play, has also been evacuated.

Meanwhile, the city's main train has been partially closed following reports that a suspicious object was found in a train.

The football stadium was evacuated about an hour and a half before kick off.

Thousands of spectators who had already arrived at the HDI-Arena were told to calmly leave the area via loudspeaker.

Police chief Volke Kluwe told public broadcaster NDR: "The key warning reached us about 15 minutes before the gates opened."

He urged people to keep away from stadiums and not move in large groups.

Shortly before the game was cancelled, police officers cordoned off an area outside the stadium after finding a suspicious object.

However, interior minister for the German state of Lower Saxony Boris Pistorius said no explosives have been found, contradicting media reports that explosives had been discovered in an emergency vehicle outside the stadium.

Speaking at a press conference with German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere, Mr Pistorius said no arrests have yet been made.

Mr de Maiziere refused to reveal the source of the intelligence on the planned attack following German media reports that authorities were tipped off by French intelligence officials.

He said the game had been cancelled for "good reasons, difficult reasons", but would not elaborate for fear it would "unsettle the public."

Just hours earlier Mr de Maiziere had warned that the terrorist threat in Germany was "very high".

Chancellor Angela Merkel and several other government ministers were due to attend the match to send a signal that Germany would not bow to terrorism in the wake of the Paris attacks.

They were not in the stadium when the game was called off and have now returned to Berlin.

Spokesman for the German national side Jens Grittner tweeted that the team were en route to the stadium when they were diverted by police. He said they had been taken to a "safe place" and that he could not disclose any more information.

It comes as armed police patrol Wembley for England's match with France.

On Friday three suicide bombers attacked areas outside Paris' Stade de France as Germany played the French national side.

After the blasts the German team spent the night in the Stade de France changing room as it was considered too dangerous for them to cross Paris.

"There was a lot of fear and anxiety in the dressing room that night," said head coach Joachim Loew. "We were afraid."

Police are hunting for two fugitives suspected of being directly involved in the Paris attacks which left 129 people dead.

Germany arrested seven people near the Belgium border earlier on Tuesday on suspicion of terrorism. All have now been released.

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