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A parking meter repair man has admitted to stealing more than £70,000 from pay and display machines as he worked on them.

Arthur Blay was employed by Bristol City Council when he stole the cash over a six year period, while repairing and maintaining parking machines around the city.

The council became aware that the money had gone missing and immediately contacted Avon and Somerset Police for help. A covert operation was subsequently planned involving the marking of bank notes and coins left in the machines with SmartWater forensic coding solution.

Mr Blay was subsequently arrested in possession of £3,727, which included money that had been marked with SmartWater, irrefutably linking him with the crime. At Bristol Crown Court Mr Blay pleaded guilty to two charges of theft from parking machines, possessing criminal property and 21 charges of converting criminal property.

After the hearing Bristol council's Kate Hartas said: "We await Mr Blay's sentence and expect it to reflect the severity of the crime." 

Blay, of Blackwood, Gwent, no longer works for the council. He was freed on bail by judge Michael Longman and will be sentenced next month.