While out on patrol at midday officers noticed the pair of legs protruding from a recycling bin for electrical goods, police report.

After photographing the scene they approached the bin.

From inside they could hear someone rummaging around.

After they had ordered the person to come out, they were surprised to find it was an old friend of theirs – they had pulled the same pair of legs out of the same recycling bin back in January.

The 52-year-old owner of the legs then gave them the same reason for finding himself arse over elbow in the garbage that he’d given the first time.

He had mistakenly thrown a perfectly good charger into the container and was trying to relocate it, he claimed.

Apparently finding the story even less plausible on its second rendition, the officers charged the man with attempted theft.

He was then given an order to leave the area.

This is not the first time in recent weeks that the bizarre combination of a pair of legs and a recycling bin has caused a bit of fuss among the fuzz.

Earlier in May a street cleaner in the north German town of Lübeck called out the cops when he came across a pair of lifeless female legs next to a paper recycling container.

Further inspection on the part of the police revealed them to belong to an inflatable sex doll.