Bomb disposal experts were called out on an unusual mission in Germany this week — to defuse a vibrating sex toy.

In a country where unexploded Second World War ordnance is still regularly found, disposal teams are always on the alert.

On Tuesday, they rushed to answer an emergency call from a video games arcade in the usually sleepy town of Halberstadt, when an employee raised the alarm after hearing a strange buzzing sound coming from a bin in the men’s lavatories.

Surrounding buildings and offices were evacuated, and the roads were cordoned off. In all around, 90 people were ordered to leave the area.

Bomb disposal experts were summoned and cautiously lifted the lid off the bin — to find a discarded sex toy vibrating inside at its highest setting.

Deactivating the toy was considerably easier than most devices the experts face: they just switched it off.

Fitfeen minutes later, the alert was called off and people allowed back into the area.

“There are clear guidelines for situations like this which the police must follow,” Chief Inspector Peter Hartmann told reporters, defending officers’ actions.

“Caution is advisable in an unclear and potentially dangerous situation.”

Despite the somewhat embarrassing discovery, the local police have no intention of letting the matter lie.