A young man on a controversial zero-hours contract stole money from the £170-a-night hotel where he worked - so he could pay his rent.

Graeme Taylor swiped the cash while employed at The Busby Hotel in Clarkston.

Taylor, 25, took £190 from the three-star hotel, which boasts a bar and restaurant, between April and May last year.

A colleague caught him taking £20 in cash while viewing a CCTV stream in the hotel, where rooms can cost up to £172-a-night.

And when confronted Taylor came clean about taking the money on a number of previous occasions.

The detail emerged when Taylor appeared in the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court to be sentenced after pleading guilty to embezzling the money.

Fiscal depute John Penman explained: “They were viewing the CCTV cameras.

“Their attention was drawn to a camera which covered the restaurant area.

“Whilst viewing the CCTV they observed another staff member, the now accused, at the till area, which is covered by a camera.

“They observed the accused open a bill folder with an unknown quantity of notes within.

“He took some money, rolled it up and placed it in his pocket.”

Staff confronted Taylor, he admitted what he’d done, removed the money from his jacket pocket and confessed to taking money on previous occasions.

The police were informed and Taylor landed in the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court.

The court heard Taylor would take £10, £15 or £20 every time he took money, and defence solicitor Terry Gallanagh said Taylor had since repaid the full £190.

The lawyer added: “He accepted his responsibility at the time and, once before the courts, accepted his responsibility immediately.

“He advises me he did it as he was on a zero hours contract and was not able to earn money to meet the rental repayments on his property at the time.”

“His actions were stupid and opportunistic.

“It’s fair to say he has been frightened by the whole court process.”

After hearing that Taylor’s family were extremely disappointed in him and that he had lost his job as a result of the case but was now working in a call centre, Sheriff Tom McCartney fined him.

As he ordered Taylor of Galston, East Ayrshire, to pay a fine of £270, the sheriff said: “Taking money in this way in the course of your employment is, of course, a breach of trust - and that makes this a more serious matter.”

The number of workers on zero-hours contracts surpassed 800,000 for the first time in the last three months of 2015.