Town halls have been evacuated in seven cities across Germany after bomb threats were sent overnight, police have said.

“A threat against the city of Augsburg has been received, the town hall has been cleared, we are investigating,” tweeted police in the southern city.

Similar incidents were reported at city halls in Neunkirchen, Kaiserslautern, Chemnitz, Goettingen, Heilbronn and Rendsburg.

Forces said sniffer dogs were searching for explosives and local traffic in the cities was disrupted.

Some of the emails sent overnight threatened bomb attacks, and others made other threats, the police said.

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In Augsburg the bomb threats meant some 500 people were evacuated from the town hall and buildings around the main square, local paper Augsburger Allgemeine reports.

The town hall in Göttingen, Lower Saxony, was also evacuated and the immediate area shut down after police said an “anonymous bomb threat” had been received by email, according to the Göttinger Tageblatt.

Shortly after 10 clock, the police gave the all clear there. “Nothing dangerous had been found”, a police spokeswoman told reporters.

The paper said special forces were on site and residents were urged to avoid the area, while traffic had been widely diverted.

The town hall in Kaiserslautern also received a “threatening email”, police said. Officers were reportedly on site with explosives detection dogs.

In Chemnitz 200 employees were ordered to leave the city hall after the threat was received. The weekly market was closed and traders had to dismantle their stands.

Following a bomb threat against the city hall in Heilbronn police have now given the all-clear, according to German news outlet Stern. No explosive devices were found.

In recent weeks, numerous bomb threats have been made across Germany including at courts and railway stations, publishers and tax offices and also against politicians and lawyers – all prompting evacuations.

Explosive devices have not been found in any of the recent cases.