A man saying he was testing the soil he dug up around Kaiserslautern kept the police busy on Saturday. (Jochen Tack/Mettman Police)

An uninvited gardening guest kept local police busy on Saturday afternoon.

A surprised Kaiserslautern-Hohenecken homeowner contacted the police at around 2:30 p.m. because a man with a shovel was digging up his property. The caller suspected that the man might be working on behalf of a neighbor but could not explain what was happening.

By the time the police arrived, the man had left the scene on a bicycle, leaving the facts of the case unclear.

About two hours later, according to Westpfalz police, a patrol found the man on Synagogenplatz, where he had already dug a trench that was about 10 feet long. The 35-year-old man explained that he had had been working in Hohenecken, testing the soil quality and later wanted to plant flowers. His explanation did not convince the police, not least because the man was under the influence of alcohol.

After establishing his identity, the man was ordered to leave the premises.

The hobby gardener is now being investigated on several counts of property damage and trespassing, according to the police.