VIENNA (AFP) - A traffic cop in Austria got more than he bargained for after a booby trap covered him head-to-toe in manure as he was trying to catch people speeding, police said on Tuesday.

A bucket containing the slurry exploded three metres from the officer after he triggered a trip wire at a site often used for speed traps, police in the southern state of Carinthia said.

The 58-year-old was not hurt and police said the device was likely designed by an irate motorist to humiliate officers rather than cause injury. But they were nonetheless not amused.

Spokesman Rainer Dionisio said: "What could have happened if the officer had been nearer the explosives, or if a child had set it off? Doesn't bear thinking about?"