A commuter used a forged ticket to travel by train from Sussex to work in London for more than two years.

Jonathan Moore, 27, used his computer skills to make a fake three-monthly ticket for his daily journey between Hove and London - allowing himself to save more than £12,000 in fares.

But Moore was caught when a sharp-eyed ticket inspector realised his ticket was a forgery during a routine inspection on board a train.

At Brighton Magistrates’ Court Moore admitted making 74 forged travel tickets, fraud and possessing 11 forged tickets.

The court was told Moore evaded paying his fare between Hove and London from July 2006 until November last year when he was caught.

Moore's ticket, which he kept in a plastic wallet, was shown to a ticket inspector during his journey home from work.

The member of staff noticed the colour appeared different from normal and a further check revealed the ticket was a forgery.

Moore is believed to have used a fake ticket each day for more than two years, saving himself about £333 a month.

The total fares he escaped paying add up to £12,472.

Magistrates sent Moore to Lewes Crown Court to be sentenced.

Moore, of Goldstone Villas, Hove, who has no previous convictions, was released on bail before he is sentenced.

Detective Constable Rob Cager, the investigating officer from the British Transport Police, said: "When arrested, Moore was found in possession of forged rail tickets dating back to 2006, while a search of his computer uncovered the designs he had produced for them.

“The simple fact is that he abused his skills as an IT consultant to produce forged tickets, effectively allowing him to enjoy free travel on the railways to the tune of more than £12,000.

“We will continue to work closely with the rail companies to ensure that those who seek to make financial gain in this way are brought to justice.”

Reports of passengers using forged tickets is rare in Sussex with only three cases coming to light in the past two years.