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A parking inspector and his wife have been detained on suspicion of misappropriating over €1m out of the coin-operated meters of a small town in Germany.

The unnamed city worker is thought to have taken cash from street meters in Kempten on numerous occasions and placed them in financial accounts that his wife had control over, local police stated in a statement.

A financial crime report by a credit institution notified investigators to the alleged embezzlement. The parking inspector has been charged with 720 counts of embezzlement, while his wife faces multiple counts of aiding and abetting theft.

The town's Mayor the mayor said he was shocked and disappointed by the claims.

In October, the Kempten legal authorities were notified that money was repeatedly being deposited into multiple accounts, according to reports.

Officers then searched office premises in the early hours of November 24, the same day that a man in his forties and a woman in her late thirties were arrested.

They are now being detained in different jails.

It is not clear how long it might have required the pair to accrue the amount.

In reaction to the allegations, Kiechle announced the formation of a committee to examine past procedures, identify potential flaws, and effectively remedy them for the future.

Kiechle added that the identities of the individuals could not at this time be disclosed due to the ongoing investigation and privacy concerns.

In a official comment, the mayor stated: "I certainly support the public prosecutor's office and the police in their thorough investigation of the allegations."

"Until the proceedings are resolved, the innocent until proven guilty applies," he continued.

The town is among the oldest settlements in the country. Situated in the country's south, it sits under the slopes of the Allgäu and has approximately 70,000 residents.