CCTV footage has emerged from China of a man allegedly trying to break into two ATM machines with pliers and a screwdriver to grab some "easy money".

In the footage, captured on the security cameras of an ATM booth in Zhejiang Province late last month, the man holds a pair of pliers and a screwdriver apparently in the hope of breaking the cover of the cash machine on one of the two machines, yet fails after a seven-minute effort. He then appears to make a separate attempt on the other one, only to suffer a second failure.

According to local broadcasters, the 37-year-old man worked as a deliveryman for a local logistics company. He said the owner of the company refused to pay his wages and therefore he decided to rob a bank before he went back home.

He is currently in custody pending further investigation.